Henry Nowak’s killer facing tense days behind bars with ‘target on back’ | UK | News

The tyrant who stabbed Henry Nowak to death could be a target in prison after being sentenced to life in prison for murder. This is according to some former prisoners who spoke about what kind of treatment Vickrum Digwa could expect behind bars.

Digwa, 23, stabbed Henry, 18, five times but falsely claimed the University of Southampton student racially abused him and knocked off his hijab. This led to Henry being arrested and handcuffed by police officers; But officers initially failed to recognize his fatal injuries, even though he repeatedly pleaded “I can’t breathe” as he lay handcuffed and dying.

Footage released by police with the permission of Henry’s family, showing an officer telling the teenager “I don’t think it’s your mate” after the victim reported he had been stabbed, sparked ugly protests.

Scores of people were arrested last night after bricks, bottles and bins were thrown at riot police following violent protests that broke out in Southampton, the city where Henry was killed by Digwa following a night out in December 2025.

Digwa, who was “obsessed with guns”, was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing Henry “with a large Sikh dagger” and will be eligible for parole in 20 years.

As Digwa approaches his life sentence, we asked some former inmates what to expect from the inside. One of the ex-cons following the case is Francesca Fattore, who once had a cell adjoining Britain’s most hated mother at the notorious HMP Bronzefield, now the home of baby killer Lucy Letby.

Francesca, who was there on drug crimes, said of what Digwa could expect: “I think he will be a big target because of all the rioting. I think people will want to catch him.”

“They will still be protected, the prison won’t want them to die again. Men are very different from women; they don’t talk, they move.”

“Obviously this is all my opinion, not facts. I think he’s either going to give no fucks and have the biggest attitude ever or I think he’s going to be stoned, definitely not in between.”

Another former prisoner also speculated about Digwa’s mentality and what impact this might have had on how he ran the prison. Ricky Killeen, who was once imprisoned at ‘Monster Manor’ HMP Frankland for his role in the machete attack, spoke about Digwa on the Behind Bars YouTube channel.

The reformed offender said: “But now Digwa has to face prison within the system. Now he has to face what can happen to him inside.

“But he’s going to go into a high-security prison. And if he’s not someone who’s already involved in that kind of lifestyle or that world, or he doesn’t know anyone in prison, then he’s going to be in for a shock when he gets into the high-security prison area.

“But he might have a bit of a penchant for prison justice.”

Although Francesca and Ricky believed Digwa may have been the target, another ex-convict, Rich Jones, offered an alternative perspective. Rich is a British Army veteran who served seven years in prison for conspiracy to supply cocaine.

He is now a published author of the Long Lost Soldier series and believes the Digwa case is more about anger towards the police, as opposed to any potential repercussions for the killer behind bars.

He said: “I think one of the big things about it is, yes he lied about the situation and tried to pull the race card but isn’t that the police response?”

“I’m not going to stand here and publicly file a police report because I believe there has already been a resignation. But that’s how the police handled it.”

He added: “So how will he be treated in a high security prison for murder? I think in any of these cases, a very high profile case and the instability of how things look in the country at the moment, with a lot of political events going on, he will be treated the same as everyone else.”

“When these people get down to A-cat they’ll say: ‘Yeah, you’re that guy, you’re the one who did that.’ “I don’t think he will become an enemy anytime soon, I think he will go there and settle down.”

He added that it was difficult to decide how he would be treated, given that he would be in a Category A prison, meaning most criminals were there for “serious offences”.

But he said the next few days would potentially be the toughest for Digwa because there would be “a lot of fingers pointed at him” and “hype” regarding the protests.

He believes that things should calm down after this period. Henry’s parents come from Chafford Hundred in Essex and said the police’s treatment of their son was “inhumane and degrading”.

His father Mark said: “Henry told officers he couldn’t breathe nine times. He told them he had been stabbed four times. Henry was dragged across the gravel, his hands forced behind his back and he was handcuffed.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Constable Robert France of Hampshire police said: “This is an absolute tragedy and I am sorry they were not able to save Henry that night and I am sorry that Henry lost consciousness and was handcuffed and arrested.

“The pathologist speaking in court was clear that there was nothing officers could have done that day to save Henry.

“His wound was deep and internal, his bleeding was profuse but internal.”

Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the incident.

The Sikh community also strongly condemned Digwa’s actions, and the killer’s family said they were “deeply saddened by the pain and suffering the Nowak family has had to endure.”

They added that “our son has apologized to the Sikh community for his actions which unfairly brought the community into disrepute” and argued that “the tragedy was not used to inflame division or hostility”.

After Digwa was sentenced, Judge Mousley KC told him: “You have brought shame to your family, your community and your religion. Your actions have increased racial tensions, which has left many Sikhs fearing for their safety.”