A former police officer has launched a scathing rant after the sentences handed down to two teenagers convicted of killing 80-year-old Bhim Kohli in a Leicester park last year.

Speaking to GB News, Peter Bleksley described the sentences as "wholly inadequate" and said the judge had "slavishly" followed Sentencing Council guidelines.

The 15-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court this afternoon for the manslaughter of Mr Kohli.

The grandfather was walking his dog Rocky in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, on September 1 2024 when he encountered the two defendants.

The grandfather was walking his dog Rocky in the park when he was attacked and murdered

The boy, who was 14 at the time and wearing a balaclava, approached Kohli and subjected him to racial abuse before slapping him in the face with a shoe whilst the pensioner was on his knees.

The girl, then aged 12, filmed the assault on her mobile phone whilst laughing and encouraging the violence. Kohli suffered a broken neck, spinal cord damage and fractured ribs during what prosecutors called an "intense attack".

Speaking to GB News, former police officer Bleksley fumed: "What a dreadful state of our nation this case is when an elderly, frail, vulnerable man living out his dotage, enjoying the last years of his life during which he's contributed so much to British society, loses his life at the hands of two revolting feral children.

"And another deeply worrying aspect of this case for me is that the judge clearly has followed slavishly the Sentencing Council guidelines and therefore handed down what I regard to be wholly inadequate sentences.

"What type of message does this send out? What kind of deterrent does it create for anybody who might be thinking of carrying out a similar ghastly act?"

He added: "These child, their actions are number one unforgivable and number two, ghastly.

"Mr Kohli was so well known in his neighbourhood, so respected without a hint of being insulting in any way.

"But he was a lovely old fella, and people regarded him as such. Decent, upstanding people regarded in him as such.

"But these feral children regarded him as a target, as a victim of their despicable behaviour.

"And so any children that hear this sentencing handed down today, that look at this case and are off the rails, this is almost a charter to go and harass and act in a hate-filled way towards our vulnerable elderly people who as a nation, we should treasure."

Peter Bleksley said that the sentencing is "wholly inadequate"

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The teenagers were convicted of manslaughter at Leicester Crown Court in April, with the boy being cleared of murder.

The 15-year-old was remanded in custody following his conviction whilst the 13-year-old girl was granted conditional bail.

During the trial, the court heard that the boy had written a letter two months after the attack in which he stated: "I accept I did it and I'm doing time, I'm just scared about how long I have to do."

He also wrote that his girlfriend had broken up with him and he had been "struggling with that", so he "needed anger releasing".