A man has been found guilty of murdering a university student with a 21cm-long knife that he claimed he was carrying for religious reasons.
When police arrived at the scene in Southampton, Vickrum Digwa, 23, falsely alleged that his victim, 18-year-old Henry Nowak, had racially abused him and knocked his turban off, prompting police to handcuff the teenager before they discovered his fatal wounds.
At Southampton crown court, Digwa’s legal team said he had acted in self-defence and only carried the knife because of his Sikh faith.
Jeremy Wainwright KC, for Digwa, said: “He carried that knife in the same way that he does every day in his life: as part of his religion.”
Nicholas Lobbenberg KC, for the prosecution, dismissed the racism allegation as a “wicked lie”. He told the jury Digwa was wearing a small kirpan (a ceremonial sword or dagger worn by initiated Sikhs) under his clothing around his neck – which the barrister said satisfied his religious obligation – but chose also to carry the much larger blade.
After the verdict, Hampshire police apologised for handcuffing Nowak and said the watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), was investigating.
Robert France, the force’s deputy chief constable, said: “This case is an absolute tragedy. I’m sorry that Henry’s life couldn’t be saved that night, and I’m sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested. He was the victim.”
Asked whether a fear of being perceived as racist played a part in the officers’ decision to arrest Nowak, he responded: “There’s an ongoing investigation by the IOPC, which will look into all of the information available to officers, their accounts of the decisions they made and why they made those decisions.
“What I can say at the moment is that it is clear that there were lies told [by Digwa] as the incident played out. That’s made it more difficult for officers to understand what had happened.”
Responding to criticism of the police response by Elon Musk and the Reform MP Robert Jenrick, France said: “I’m a strong advocate of free speech. I think it’s important people can say what they feel they want to say. All I would ask is that people try to understand the full circumstances. It was undoubtedly complex, and it is clear that they [the officers] misunderstood what was happening.”
On whether the decisions of the officers affected Nowak’s chances of survival, France said: “The pathologist has been clear in court that Henry’s injury was deep and internal, the significant bleeding that we heard about in court was internal, and there wasn’t anything the officer [could] have done that night that would have saved Henry.”
Nowak, from Essex, who was studying finance at the University of Southampton, was stabbed five times as he walked home after a night out with his football team.
In his closing speech, Lobbenberg said Digwa liked weapons and described the knife used in the attack in “loving terms”.
“On 3 December at around 11 o’clock, Vickrum Digwa chose to be on the streets of Southampton with a 21cm knife,” he said. “He wasn’t at a temple. He had been helping with his brother’s work for Deliveroo. This is a man who chooses to sleep in his bedroom with an arsenal of weapons. This is a man who likes weapons.”
He said Digwa had lied repeatedly about what had happened. “Racism was his trump card to try to make sure what he had done was lawful. We say that was a wicked lie about a dying man.
“This is not a case about Sikhism. This is not a case about racism. This is a case about murder.”
Responding to a question by the jury as to whether it was illegal to carry a knife of the size of one carried by the defendant, the judge, William Mousley KC, said it would have to be for a good reason, such as “only for self-defence” or for religious reasons.
“It is for Vickrum to prove that it is more likely than not that he had a good reason for having it,” he said.
The shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said the actions of officers attending the scene of the stabbing had been shameful. “The police seemed more interested in cuffing someone accused of making a racist comment than in saving a dying man,” he said.
A statement issued by the Sikh Federation on behalf of Sikh community organisations said: “The wider Sikh community has unacceptably faced considerable abuse and hate during the trial as many do not understand the law, the significance of the kirpan or the responsibility associated with wearing a kirpan.
“The actions of police officers who handcuffed the victim just before he died has not helped and given an opportunity for many to criticise the police, but it has also unnecessarily stirred up community hatred.
“We want to make absolutely clear the law only provides fully practising Sikhs with a defence under the law to wear a kirpan for religious reasons. If a kirpan or a bladed item is used aggressively in an act of violence the defence under the law for a kirpan does not apply and it is deemed an offensive weapon.
“We understand in this case the weapon that may have been used was not the normal kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs. This nuance is critically important and may not have been explained or understood by those asked to give evidence in this case.”
Digwa, from Southampton, will be sentenced on Monday for murder and possession of bladed article in a public place.
After the attack, his mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, also from Southampton, removed the knife he had used from the scene. She was found guilty of assisting an offender.
Under UK law it is lawful for a person to possess a kirpan for religious, ceremonial, sporting or historical reasons. The government says it is up to a court to decide if a person has got a good reason to carry a knife or a weapon if they are charged with carrying it illegally. The College of Policing says there is no legally prescribed size for a kirpan in the UK.
