A man who fatally stabbed a university student with a Sikh kirpan knife after declaring 'I am a bad man' has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, attacked 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton on December 3, 2025. The victim sustained two stab wounds to his legs before a fatal blow to his heart. Digwa later claimed self-defence, alleging Henry had used racial slurs and struck him, but prosecutors described this as a 'wicked lie'.
Digwa was convicted of murder at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday. His mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty of assisting an offender by removing the weapon from the scene. The court heard that Digwa had undergone weapons training from age 12 and spoke of the murder weapon in 'loving terms'.
In a victim impact statement, Henry's father Mark Nowak said: 'As a father, it is my job to protect my child and I failed to keep him safe... the thought of him lying in the road, scared, bleeding to death will haunt me forever.' Henry's sister Olivia told Digwa: 'If you had known him, you would never have hurt him.'
The case has drawn attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk offered to fund a private prosecution against police, who handcuffed Henry as he lay dying. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating.
