Vickrum Digwa, 23, confessed to his brother in the back of a police van that he stabbed university student Henry Nowak, calling himself a 'fool' and an 'idiot', according to transcripts released today. The conversation, originally in Punjabi, was overheard hours after the murder and has now been translated into English.
Confession in Police Van
Digwa was in the van with his brother Gurpreet Digwa, 27, when he admitted to the stabbing. He had initially lied to police, claiming he was the victim of a 'racially attacked', but within two days he confessed. The brothers discussed how they would describe the murder weapon during legal proceedings and recited a Sikh prayer.
Gurpreet told his brother: 'You defended yourself or acted in self-defence. You should have hit him or beaten him up. Why did you use Kirpan?' Digwa replied: 'I am a fool – idiot.' Earlier, Gurpreet asked what Digwa did to Nowak. Digwa motioned to his chest and said: 'One here (pointing towards the shoulder), towards the face and one on the chest. He was 18 years of age.'
Prayer and Charges
Gurpreet then recited an almost three-minute-long Ardaas, a traditional Sikh prayer, ending with: 'We have not done anything wrong, God, please have mercy on us and protect us. Save all of us from here and get us home safely.' Digwa, Gurpreet, and their father Moga Singh, 52, have been charged with weapons possession offences. They deny the charges and will face trial in September 2027.
Details of the Murder
Southampton Crown Court heard during Digwa's murder trial that he kept an arsenal of Sikh knives in the bedroom he shared with his brother. Digwa, skilled with weapons from a young age, used a kirpan to stab Henry five times, inflicting a fatal 8cm deep chest wound. Henry, a finance student at the University of Southampton, was on his way home from a night out when attacked.
Digwa filmed his victim as Henry tried to escape by jumping over a fence, leaving a trail of blood. Digwa told 'wicked lies' of a racist attack to police, leading to Henry being handcuffed while dying. Henry died approximately 57 minutes after being handcuffed. Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty of assisting an offender for hiding the blade and will be sentenced tomorrow.
