Henry Nowak killer’s confession: Sikh murderer admitted stabbing student multiple times as he spoke to his brother in Punjabi in back of police van

Henry Nowak’s killer admitted to stabbing the teenager multiple times in a recorded conversation with his brother in the back of a police van.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, admitted to his brother Gurpreet that he used a kirpan (Sikh ceremonial knife) to stab Mr Nowak in the face and chest.

The duo were speaking in Punjab during the exchange, which took place within 36 hours of the murder, as they were being taken between the police station and the court for an extension of custody hearing on December 5 last year.

Digwa did not know his young victim but lied to his family and police officers at the scene, claiming his 18-year-old victim had racially abused him, punched him and knocked off his hijab.

Mr Nowak was arrested as he lay covered in his own blood before dying ‘alone, humiliated and handcuffed’.

The conversation with his brother was the first time Digwa told the truth about what happened.

A transcript of the interview translated from Punjabi into English and published by the Crown Prosecution Service BBCHe reveals the killer, describing the nature of the attack and calling him an ‘idiot’.

Gurpreet Digwa, 27, did not witness her brother stabbing Mr Nowak but arrived at the scene a short time later.

Digwa, 23, was found guilty of murdering Henry Nowak with a 20cm ceremonial knife

Mr Nowak was a finance student at the University of Southampton and was described by his family as ‘kind and talented’

Police body camera footage shows innocent 18-year-old handcuffed as he lay dying

Gurpreet asked Digwa, ‘What did you do? Did you do anything?’, the transcript describes how he pointed to his shoulder and said: ‘One here, towards the face, and the other towards his chest.’

Gurpreet told him: ‘You shouldn’t have done this.’ Digwa responded saying it was his fault or mistake.

During the conversation, Gurpreet told her brother several times that he should ‘just push’ Mr Nowak. ‘Hit or be beaten’.

‘Why did you use your kirpan?’ he asked.

Digwa replied: ‘I am a fool.’

The use of the word ‘kirpan’ to describe the eight-inch murder weapon is disputed by many Sikhs, who insist that the kirpan is a smaller ceremonial knife, usually curved.

Gurpreet told her brother to claim he had acted in “self-defence”, even though the killer admitted to stabbing Mr Nowak three times.

He questioned why he did not flee the scene and asked him to pray.

The couple’s mother Kiran Kaur and father Moga Singh were also in police custody during the exchange.

The transcript revealed that the siblings discussed how their parents might cope if Digwa was convicted.

Digwa said: ‘My mother was making a lot of noise. It was my fault.’

Kiran Kaur was found guilty of aiding the criminal by removing the murder weapon from the scene at Digwa’s request. He will be sentenced at the end of this month.

Although the evidence at trial implicated Gurpreet, neither Gurpreet nor her father faced charges related to the murder. He may have committed perjury, aided the criminal, and obstructed the police.

The trio pleaded not guilty to the charge that they were in possession of weapons, including machetes, brass knuckles, light knives and a manriki-gusari, a traditional Japanese weapon containing a weighted metal chain.

Digwa did not know his young victim but lied to his family and police officers at the scene, claiming his 18-year-old victim had racially abused him, punched him and knocked off his hijab.

Digwa’s brother Gurpreet covers his face during a hearing at Southampton Magistrates’ Court

The couple’s father, Moga Singh, also tried to cover his face as he arrived at the hearing earlier this month.

The brothers also talked about their lawyers while in the police van. Gurpreet warned Digwa to ‘listen to them’ and ‘not show off or act harsh’.

“No I won’t,” Digwa admitted.

The conversation ended with the brothers trying to explain what was going on and criticizing each other on some issues. they believed the other ‘shouldn’t have told’ the police.

Body camera footage that led to riots in Southampton shows police officers initially ignoring Mr Nowak when he said he had been stabbed, with a male officer telling him: ‘I don’t think you did that, mate.’

Andrew Mortimore, a resident of the street where the stabbing took place on December 3, 2025, told Digwa’s trial that Mr Nowak repeatedly said ‘I am not a racist’.

He told the court: ‘As I was observing these people outside the flats, I think I heard a male voice say, ‘I’m not a racist.’ I couldn’t hear anything else that was said. ‘Those are the only real words I think I’ve ever heard.’

Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC told the jury: ‘Even as Henry was dying [he said] I’m not a racist… This was heard by Andrew Mortimore, one of the witnesses read to you, and as he lay dying Henry denied that he was the attacker.’

The two police officers who dealt with Mr. Nowak are currently under investigation for potential gross misconduct.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the investigation concerned potential failures by officers to recognize that the teenager needed urgent medical attention, to take action when he said he had been stabbed and could not breathe, and to decide to arrest and handcuff him rather than provide first aid.

A police officer is also under investigation for potentially breaching standards of conduct by denying Mr Nowak’s claim that he was stabbed.

The watchdog will also look at whether race or religion played a role in police officers’ decisions.

The Daily Mail was previously told the IOPC would stick to its decision not to investigate the officers’ conduct but instead treat them as witnesses.

Digwa was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in prison for murder, but is seeking to appeal both his conviction and sentence.

The killer has now appealed to the Court of Appeal in the hope of having his prison sentence reduced, although Attorney General Ellie Reeves KC has applied for his prison sentence to be reconsidered under the Extremely Less Sentencing scheme.

The Court of Appeal confirmed that Digwa’s case had previously been deemed “overly lenient”. A judge will now decide whether Digwa will be given the opportunity to appeal.