"that was a wicked lie about a dying man."
A Sikh man has been found guilty of murdering a university student with a kirpan.
Vickrum Digwa was convicted after the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton.
The University of Southampton finance student was attacked while walking home after a night out with his football team.
When police arrived in Southampton, Digwa claimed his victim had racially abused him and knocked off his turban, leading officers to handcuff the teenager before discovering fatal wounds.
At Southampton Crown Court, the defence argued self-defence and religious grounds.
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.”
The prosecution rejected the allegation of racism, with Nicholas Lobbenberg KC dismissing it as a “wicked lie”.
He told the jury Digwa wore a small kirpan under his clothing, satisfying his religious obligation, but also carried a much larger blade.
The court heard Digwa had been on the streets of Southampton with the knife on the night of December 3, 2025.
In his closing speech, Lobbenberg said Digwa described weapons in “loving terms” and had a pattern of fascination with them.
He said: “On 3 December at around 11 o’clock, Vickrum Digwa chose to be on the streets of Southampton with a 21cm knife. 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.
“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.”
Following the verdict, Hampshire Police apologised after Nowak was handcuffed, with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launching an investigation.
Robert France, deputy chief constable of Hampshire Police, 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.
“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 from Elon Musk and Reform MP Robert Jenrick, he 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 police response affected survival chances, he 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.”
The court heard Nowak was stabbed multiple times as he walked home after a night out.
The judge, William Mousley KC, told the jury that carrying a knife required a good reason, including self-defence or religious grounds.
He said:
“It is for Vickrum to prove that it is more likely than not that he had a good reason for having it.”
Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, was found guilty of assisting an offender by removing the weapon from the scene.
Judge William Mousley KC adjourned the case for Digwa to be sentenced on June 1 and Kaur on July 17.
Under UK law, possession of a kirpan is permitted for religious and ceremonial reasons. The College of Policing states there is no legally prescribed size for a kirpan in the UK.
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