Park murder accused, 15, told witness he had anger issues, jury told

A 15-year-old boy accused of killing a pensioner in a park appeared to be “overwhelmed, scared and nervous” and told friends he had “anger issues” a day after the alleged murder, a teenage witness has told a jury.

In a pre-recorded video interview played to Leicester Crown Court, the witness, who cannot be named because of his age, said the accused youth had also said he was “planning to go somewhere far … like a different city”.

A trial has heard Bhim Kohli, 80, was racially abused before he was forced to the ground and slapped in the face with a shoe by a boy wearing a balaclava, while a girl filmed the attack.

The 15-year-old boy is on trial charged with one count of murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter, while a 13-year-old girl is charged with Mr Kohli’s manslaughter.

Neither can be named because of a court order.

In a video interview conducted by a police officer last month but played to jurors on Wednesday, the teenage witness said he had met the male defendant near a churchyard for around 20 minutes at about 8pm on September 2.

He told the interviewing officer: “He (the boy accused of murder) messages me because I was with my mate and his phone was dead.

“Then we both met him. And obviously we asked him what happened. He said he has got anger issues and just didn’t stop punching him.”

At the time of the meeting, the witness said, he believed the victim of the attack “was just hospitalised” but understood from the conversation that he had been “battered”.

“And then when he saw that he said he got really angry and just started battering him. He was telling us something about ‘I can’t stay in that area’ and he needs to go somewhere.

“I think he was planning to go somewhere, like a different city or something. He said he needs to go to a different city.”

Asked how the boy had seemed, the witness continued: “Overwhelmed, scared and nervous. I guess he was kind of like shaking.”

In separate video evidence played to the jury, another friend of the defendant accused of murder claimed that the youth said “it is what it is at the end of the day” after being told he was “crazy” for attacking Mr Kohli.

The 14-year-old witness, who also gave evidence via a video interview, told jurors: “I’m pretty sure it was the Monday (September 2) about 7pm.

“He said ‘They know it’s me, they have got a full description, I have put a man in intensive care. He is basically dead’.

“He said he was only going to punch him once … but he said he just let his anger out and he couldn’t stop.”

The trial continues.