Sikh man stabbed 18-year-old university student to death with an eight-inch ceremonial knife after claiming he’d been racially abused, court hears

A university student died after being stabbed multiple times by a man carrying a Sikh ceremonial sword, a court heard.

Finance student Henry Nowak, 18, was returning home after a night out when he was allegedly attacked by stranger Vikrum Digwa, 23, with an eight-inch ‘Shastar’ knife.

Digwa was caught on camera saying ‘I’m a bad man’ before the fatal attack, jurors heard.

He is now on trial with his mother on murder charges Kiran Kaur, 53, is charged with assisting an offender.

Prosecutors said the woman went to the scene and then ran home to hide the knife in an “arsenal” of weapons there. Both deny the accusations.

Southampton Crown Court heard from Mr Nowak He was in his first semester studying accounting and finance at the University of Southampton when he went for a night on the town with friends from his football team on December 3, 2023.

The teenager went home around 11pm and was ‘less drunk than the legal driving limit’.

Jurors were told he was talking to friends on Snapchat when he encountered Digwa.

The court heard Mr Nowak tried to climb a fence to escape after being stabbed but Digwa ‘aggressively pursued’ him, leaving a trail of blood.

Police were called to the scene but arrested Mr Nowak after Digwa claimed he had been racially abused.

Mr. Nowak was handcuffed before collapsing and dying in the street a short time later.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC said: ‘Simply put, Henry drowned in his own blood and his lungs were cut by the knife, which was lodged about eight centimeters into him.

‘Vickrum Digwa raises self-defense defense. He insisted Henry had carried out a racist attack while drunk. He says he doesn’t remember exactly how the fatal wound was inflicted.’

Opening the case on Thursday, Mr. Lobbenberg told jurors that Mr. Nowak’s phone recorded the moment he met Digwa.

‘Vikrum Digwa was carrying an extremely large knife in a sheath that was clearly displayed on his clothing,’ he told them.

‘At half past midnight that night Henry Nowak was dead; He had been fatally stabbed by Vikrum Digwa with that knife, the same knife that Vikrum Digwa had chosen to throw into the street.

‘The murder was witnessed by no one except Henry Nowak and Vikrum Digwa; neighbors heard what happened after Henry Nowak complained that he had been stabbed and was dying; Tragically, he was right in both cases.

‘After being stabbed, Henry Nowak climbed on top of a bin and went over a fence to try to escape but he was already fatally injured and there were traces of blood in the street indicating he had been stabbed before climbing the bin and climbing over the fence.

‘Vikrum Digwa chose to pursue him aggressively.’

The prosecutor said a video of the incident was found on Mr. Nowak’s phone, which was in Digwa’s pocket.

In the video shown to the jury, Mr Nowak can be heard singing and saying ‘Hello car’ to himself before yawning; the footage then cuts to show Digwa walking away from him.

Mr Nowak can then be heard saying: ‘He’s actually a bad guy, what a bad guy. You’re a bad man, say you’re a bad man, move on.’

Digwa replied: ‘I’m a bad man’ and Mr Nowak said: ‘Are you…?’ before the footage cuts away. he replied.

Mr Lobbenberg said the defendant’s father and brother went to the scene with his mother a short time later, and the woman was captured on video taking the knife to the family home.

The prosecutor said at the scene Digwa denied stabbing Mr Nowak and instead claimed he had been “racially abused and attacked by a drunk man”.

Mr Lobbenberg said: ‘He did not seek help for the man he had stabbed with his large knife, instead accusing him of being a racist and a drunk.’

He said police initially handcuffed Mr. Nowak but began giving him first aid when he collapsed.

Mr Lobbenberg: ‘Vikrum said he had not been stabbed. It was a lie. This was a man whom Vikrum Digwa stabbed multiple times.

‘Henry Nowak fainted and police attempted to provide first aid.

‘A doctor was flown in by helicopter but there was nothing that could be done to save Henry and he was pronounced dead on the street at 12.37am.’

He suffered four stab wounds, two in the back of his legs and one in his lung.

Analysis of the knife found blood and fatty tissue matching Mr Nowak’s, hair belonging to Digwa and DNA belonging to Kaur.

In the United Kingdom, Sikhs are legally allowed to carry Kirpan knives in public as they are protected under religious exemption laws.

However, it turned out that Digwa had a small Kirpan around his neck, fulfilling his religious obligations, and the ‘Shastar’ sword he carried on him was much larger (about eight inches). [21 cm]the court heard.

The prosecutor said: ‘Sikhism obliges male followers of the faith to carry and wear certain items; these include a wooden comb, a metal bracelet, and a ceremonial knife called a kirpan.

‘This little kirpan fulfills any religious obligation a Sikh might have to carry a knife, and Mr. Vikrum Digwa carried it under his clothing and around his neck.’

He added: ‘Mr Digwa was choosing to carry a very large 21cm knife on the streets of Southampton.’

The court heard that after his arrest, Digwa and his brother were taken to a police van and their conversation was recorded.

Mr Lobbenberg said: ‘The two chose to speak to each other assuming they could not be heard. He told his brother he stabbed Henry three times. ‘He didn’t mention any racism or self-defence.’

Referring to Kaur’s accusation, he said: ‘Kaur is the mother of the accused. He arrived at the scene while his wife and sons were there.

‘His son asked him to take his Shastar, the large knife. This was captured on phone footage so it could be heard.

‘He was hiding among the weapons cache at home. Analysis of the knife showed that it contained blood and fatty tissue. DNA showed it belonged to Henry. Hair belonging to Vikrum Digwa was found on the knife.’

Digwa’s lawyer said he acted in self-defence ‘in the heat of the moment’.

Jeremy Wainwright KC, for Digwa, made a brief statement to jurors after the prosecution summarized the case.

Mr Wainwright KC said: ‘Was Vickrum Digwa carrying a knife for legitimate religious purposes or was he carrying a Kirpan dagger for religious reasons?

‘These usually measure between two and nine inches. This knife is eight inches so it can still be considered legitimate.

‘Who started this incident? Was it Henry Nowak who said something to Mr. Digwa, or was it Mr. Digwa who said something to him?

‘The prosecution says Mr. Nowak categorically did not commit a racially motivated attack, but have they assured you of this with the evidence?

‘Did Vickrum Digwa actually have a deliberate intention to cause serious harm or kill when using his Kirpan, or was he acting in self-defense in the heat of the moment?

‘You will be shocked and saddened when you see the condition of Henry Nowak and hear the screams of a tragically dying man.

‘But were Digwa and his brother aware at the time that they were dealing with a dying man, or was their anger due to someone racially attacking them and they were unaware of the extent of these injuries?’

Following Henry’s death, his family launched a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of knives, saying: ‘We want people to know how much harm carrying a knife can cause.

‘This has had huge repercussions in so many people’s lives.’

The trial continues.