A life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years was handed down on Monday to Vickrum Digwa, 23, for the brutal murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton on 3 December 2025. The killing was carried out with a 21 cm ceremonial kirpan that Digwa was permitted to carry under religious exemption. After the stabbing, Digwa falsely told police that Nowak—who was unarmed and alone—had used racial slurs and that he himself had not stabbed the victim. On 29 May 2026 Digwa was convicted of murder at Southampton Crown Court.
Kiran Kaur, 53 and Digwa’s mother, has also been taken into police custody. She faces a charge of assisting an offender after removing the kirpan, its sheath and the carrying belt from the scene. Her sentencing has been deferred. During sentencing remarks, the judge emphasised that the privilege of carrying a bladed article in public carries “huge responsibility.”
Bodycam footage released on Monday evening captured the final moments of Nowak, who repeatedly told officers he could not breathe and that he had been stabbed. Instead of rendering aid, officers propped him up, handcuffed him and informed him he was being arrested for assault. One officer is heard asking where Nowak was stabbed and then stating, “Don’t think you have, mate.” Another officer instructs a colleague to check Nowak for stab wounds. Throughout the footage, Digwa can be seen alleging that his turban had been pulled off and that he had a bruise above his right eye.
Speaking outside the court on Monday, Henry’s father Mark Nowak said, “Henry did not die with dignity…he lost consciousness before anyone believed him.” The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation into the police response.
On Wednesday evening, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons that the government condemned the attack and rejected claims of two-tier policing. Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick called for the arresting officer to be prosecuted for dereliction of duty. Earlier in the day, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage urged the public to respond with “pure cold rage,” while praising the Nowak family’s dignified stance. Mark Nowak had earlier stated he did not want the murder exploited to incite further hatred or division.
Several Sikh MPs strongly condemned the murder in Parliament and cautioned against politicising the case along religious lines or using it to justify restrictions on the carrying of kirpans. Ms Mahmood reminded the House that the previous Conservative government strengthened protections in 2019 for the carrying of long religious weapons, including kirpans. “Carrying a knife for the purpose of religious observance is one thing,” she said. “Using it as so tragically occurred in this case is quite another.” She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to halving knife crime in the UK by 2030 and expressed the government’s “deep sorrow” for the Nowak family’s suffering.
In a statement issued through the Sikh Press Association, the Digwa family said they were “deeply sorry” for the pain caused and apologised to the Sikh community, stating that their son’s actions had “unfairly brought the community into disrepute.”
