A man with a 'weapon obsession' has been jailed for life for murdering a university student with a large Sikh dagger. Vickrum Digwa, 23, stabbed 18-year-old Henry Nowak five times in Southampton and will serve at least 20 years before being considered for parole.
When police arrived at the scene, Digwa falsely claimed Nowak had racially abused him and knocked his turban off. Officers arrested and handcuffed the student before realising he had fatal injuries. Hampshire Police have apologised, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating.
Sentencing Digwa, Judge Mousley KC said he had 'brought shame on your family, your community and your religion' and that his actions had stirred up racial tension. The judge noted that while Sikhs may carry a kirpan for religious reasons, it must never be used offensively.
Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC described the killing as a 'sustained attack on an unarmed man' and said Digwa was 'skilled with weapons, trained with weapons, sleeps with weapons, searches for weapons on his phone'. Digwa also made videos of Nowak running away and lying injured.
Nowak's father Mark criticised the police treatment, saying his son 'did not die with dignity' and called on the government to treat knife crime as a national emergency. Nowak's sister Olivia said 650 people attended his funeral and that her brother 'lit up every room'.
