Murder-accused boy hit man, 80, out of 'instinct'

A balaclava-clad boy slapped an 80-year-old man in the face out of "instinct" after he grabbed his shoe and then pushed him to the ground to defend his friend, a murder trial has heard.

Jurors were told the boy had anger issues but did not want to hurt Bhim Kohli after they had a "tussle" over his slider and the teen "hit him for no reason".

Mr 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.

The court heard allegations that Mr Kohli was racially abused before he was kicked and punched on the ground, and slapped in the face with a slider by the boy, while the girl filmed part of the attack and laughed.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, the boy said he thought Mr Kohli was going to "push" or "hit" the girl.

He agreed he had carried a balaclava on the day of the alleged attack and, when asked why he wore it, he replied "fashion".

He denied he had worn the balaclava because he was going to do something bad.

Asked by his defence barrister, Balraj Bhatia KC, what they had been doing in Franklin Park that evening, the boy said: "We just sat down and chilled."

The boy told the jury that the group saw a man walking his dog when the girl is alleged to have told them "something along the lines of 'he carries a knife'".

He said he walked over to the man to ask him if he had a knife but "he ignored me".

He added: "He was walking towards me a little bit so I walked back.

"We were already in talking range as it was, so he did not need to be closer."

The boy said one of his sliders "slipped off" as he was walking backwards.

He added: "I went to grab it but he [Mr Kohli] grabbed it before me."

The court heard there was then a "tussle" over the slider, which the boy won and caused Mr Kohli to "fall to his knees".

The jury had been shown a video, taken by the 13-year-old girl, which shows a boy slapping Mr Kohli in the face with a slider while he was on his knees.

In another clip taken by the girl, Mr Kohli is seen lying on his side on the ground while the boy walks away.

Asked how he got on the ground, the boy told the court he had been "walking towards us with his hand in the air saying something".

He said: "As he was coming towards us, I was like walking to the bench still and he went into [the female defendant's] way.

"I did not see anything but I thought he was going to do something, I thought he was either going to push her or hit her.

"I sort of ran at him and at the last moment I pushed him."

The court heard Mr Kohli fell to the floor with the boy falling on top of him.

He said: "I think I landed on his ribs."

Asked if he wanted to fall on top of Mr Kohli, the boy replied "no", and said he "wanted to defend" the girl.

The boy said he did not see Mr Kohli hit the girl or pull a knife out, both of which he claimed in a message sent to his friend after the alleged attack.

He denied he wanted to hurt Mr Kohli or to kill him, and denied punching, picking or stamping on him.

The trial continues.

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