Memorial for dog walker who died after park attack

A vigil is to be held in honour of an 80-year-old man who died after he was attacked in a park.

Bhim Kohli died on 2 September last year, a day after he was punched and kicked by a teenage boy while a girl filmed the attack at Franklin Park in Braunstone Park, Leicestershire.

A gate to an allotment there, where Mr Kohli owned three plots, has been renamed after him, and the family will be holding a candlelight vigil at 19:00 BST on Tuesday.

The boy and girl, now aged 15 and 13 respectively, were both convicted of manslaughter in April.

Mr Kohli’s daughter Susan Kohli said the family felt “absolute joy” that her father has been remembered at the allotment a year after his death.

“My mum’s happy. We are all really joyed,” she said.

“It means so much knowing how much my dad was loved – and that’s what it comes down to.

“Dad was loved by anyone and everybody that he came into contact with.”

Ms Kohli said the three allotments, which his dad had maintained for 15 years, were his pride and joy.

“He had them after he gave up the factory – his business – and retired. So he was very much fit and strong,” she said.

“He had so many joyful memories.”

Ms Kohli said her father was a regular to Franklin Park for 40 years and had fond memories of the place.

“He was very talkative and joyful,” she said. “He always had things to say and everyone knew him.”

In memory of Mr Kholi, three flowering cherry trees have also been planted in the park, funded in part by money raised by the community.

“He would be so joyed and really happy because he was all about planting,” she said.

“These trees mean a lot. It’s what dad would have loved.”

However, Ms Kohli said she had “a lot of mixed feelings” about the park.

Mr Kohli had been walking his dog Rocky when he was subjected to the “seven-and-a-half minute period of continuing aggression”.

Ms Kohli said the park was a “constant reminder” of the attack, but the family try to “overshadow that with the great memories” they have of him with Rocky.

The boy was sentenced to seven years in custody, while the girl was given a youth rehabilitation order of three years and made subject to a six-month curfew.

In July, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) referred the case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme in bid to have the boy’s sentence increased.

The Court of Appeal rejected moves to have the sentence increased on 13 August.

Ms Kohli previously said “justice has not been done” and believes the sentencing guidelines were at fault, adding the past year had been “extremely hard”.

“I’ve not really had time to reflect on how’s it’s impacted myself,” she said. “I’ve not had the chance to grieve.”

She said the family planned to campaign to get the guidelines changed in Parliament for tougher sentences for the youths.

“I want to make sure the lost of my dad doesn’t go unseen because we need to make changes, so no-one has to go through what we’ve been through as a family,” she added.

Additional reporting by Ady Dayman.