Murder-accused boy 'panicked' after park attack

Bhim Kohli, 80, died of a neck injury on 2 September

A boy accused of punching, kicking and slapping an 80-year-old man with a slider shoe during a fatal attack said he later "panicked" and asked to swap shoes with someone, a murder trial has heard.

Bhim Kohli died the day after he was assaulted in Franklin Park, yards from his home in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, on 1 September last year.

A 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named because of their ages, are on trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of killing him.

On Friday, while giving evidence, the boy said he had anger issues but denied he left Mr Kohli for dead after racially abusing and beating him.

He told the jury he had left the park after Mr Kohli was injured, but then panicked when he saw a police car.

Harpreet Sandhu KC, prosecuting, asked the boy: "When you panicked, did you ask someone else to swap clothes with you?"

The boy said: "It was shoes, but that was the only thing."

When further asked why he wanted to swap shoes, the boy said: "I'm not sure, I just panicked because of what happened - the incident at Franklin Park. I hit him with my slider, and pushing him."

The defendant - who denies murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter - denied that he wanted to change shoes so he could run away.

Leicester Crown Court heard Mr Kohli was attacked near his home in Franklin Park

The jury heard in messages to his friends, the boy also said that Mr Kohli had pulled out a knife and hit a girl, which he told the court was a lie.

Asked why he lied to his friends, the boy said: "I panicked and didn't want anyone to think bad of me."

Mr Sandhu asked: "Why would they think bad of you? Because he died? He died because of what you did, do you agree?"

The boy replied: "Yes."

Mr Sandhu said: "You also say that Bhim Kohli had done something bad. Did you make up that Bhim Kohli had done something bad in order to explain why you had done something bad?"

The defendant replied: "Yes."

Prosecutors said the girl - who denies manslaughter - encouraged the boy's violence, which left Mr Kohli with a spinal injury and fractured ribs.

The trial continues.