A boy accused of murdering an 80-year-old man in a park later sent messages admitting to carrying out the attack, a court has heard.

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

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named because of his age, is on trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of murder and manslaughter.

On Thursday, jurors heard messages retrieved from the boy’s mobile phone, including one which said: “I didn’t mean to batter him.”

The court heard a string of texts, Snapchat and WhatsApp messages sent by the boy between the attack on Mr Kohli and his death the following day.

They were sent to various contacts, before he was arrested, while hiding in a bush at 21:38 GMT the day after the attack, jurors were told.

In reply to a message saying an 80-year-old had been “smacked up” in the park, the boy wrote: “I did that. I watched him pull a knife on a girl.

“I didn’t mean to batter him. It was one hit and then my anger turned in.

“I regret it, man, I do. I’m sorry for everything.”

In another message, the boy, who the court heard had been repeatedly searching the internet for news about the attack, told a contact he had “banged” a man.

A further message from the boy read: “Feds know it was me. Got my name and picture.”

Jurors were told the boy sent another message saying he was going “on the run”.

His mother sent him numerous texts saying she loved him and asking him to stop running before he was detained.

The court was previously told the male defendant racially abused Mr Kohli before kicking and punching him during an “intense attack”.

The boy, who was wearing a balaclava, also slapped Mr Kohli around the face with his slider shoe while he was on his knees, the court heard.

Prosecutors added the girl, accused of manslaughter, encouraged the violence and filmed the attack on her phone while laughing.

She denies the charge.

Earlier on Thursday, jurors were shown a recording of a police interview with a 13-year-old boy, which was carried out on 4 September last year.

He was part of a group in the park with the defendants, the court heard.

The boy told police the female defendant had seen Mr Kohli in the park, and said he had previously hit one of her friends with a stick.

The 13-year-old – who gave his evidence behind a screen – said the two defendants then approached Mr Kohli – at which point he and two other girls in the group ran away.

The witness said while he did not see the attack on Mr Kohli, when asked what he thought the male defendant was going to do, he said: “We know what [the male defendant] is like, having a go at someone. He was either going to start on him or something.

“I didn’t think he was going to hit him. I thought he was just going to talk to him about why he hit one of his friends.

“[The male defendant] came out of the park with hands on his head saying ‘oh, he was on the floor’.”

He said the others had asked the male defendant, “what have you done? What have you done?”

The 13-year-old boy told police he had only seen Mr Kohli once before and had never spoken to him.

Jurors heard Mr Kohli was discovered by two of his children “on the ground and in obvious pain”.

Mr Kohli, the court heard, had told his daughter he had been punched in the face, kicked, and racially abused.

His cause of death was given as a neck injury causing spinal cord damage, and the court was told he had a number of other injuries, including fractured ribs.

The trial continues.

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