Elderly Sikh assaulted in Britain dies

An 80-year-old Sikh man, who was assaulted by a teenaged girl in the British city of Coventry in August this year, has died.

Joginder Singh, who was assaulted on Trinity Street in Coventry city centre by Coral Millerchip, 19, around 8.30 p.m. Aug 10, died Nov 3, the police of West Midlands county said in a statement Thursday.

The incident was captured on closed circuit television (CCTV) and the footage was widely circulated on social media.

The victim, who suffered a cut nose and swelling, hailed from the Canley neighbourhood of the city.

Millerchip also spat on the victim and verbally abused him.

Millerchip confessed to the crime last month, but following the death of Singh she is likely to face more stringent charges.

"Following the assault, Singh was re-admitted to hospital and was being treated for a diagnosed condition and at this stage it is unclear if that is directly connected with the assault," Matt Markham, an officer in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said in the statement.

Singh was reportedly "fighting for his life" when Millerchip appeared in Coventry Magistrate's Court in August for her first hearing.

Prosecutor Pamela Meinert, during the hearing, said that Singh was in a critical condition in hospital.

However, she added that she was not sure whether his condition had anything to do with the attack.

Singh was discharged from hospital after the attack but was later re-admitted for treatment.

The post-mortem examination report has not yet come and police said further tests were being done to know the actual cause of his death.

"It's really bad news - an extremely sad day for the community," Harjinder Singh Sehmi, the counsel of the deceased, said.