The grandmother of Vickrum Digwa, the man convicted of murdering student Henry Nowak, has spoken publicly for the first time, saying the case has 'destroyed two families'. Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for repeatedly stabbing Henry before falsely claiming he was the victim of a racist attack.
Bimla Kaur, 75, told the Daily Mail from her Southampton home: 'This whole case has destroyed two families: Henry's and mine. We are in a hard situation because we still have to support him but at the same time our hearts are broken and I'm very sorry for what's happened.' She described her grandson as a 'difficult boy' and said his actions contradicted the family's Sikh beliefs.
Digwa was part of the Nihang Sikh order, an ancient martial tradition known for its use of swords and other weapons in religious practice. Mrs Kaur said: 'These weapons are not meant to be used on the innocent, so something has gone wrong. He's done a very bad thing - there's no argument over that.' She added that while she takes pride in the family's Sikh heritage, Digwa had betrayed that tradition.
The grandmother revealed that Digwa's father Moga Singh and brother Gurpreet Singh have been forced into hiding after their home was targeted following the conviction. She said: 'It's not safe for them to be in their home because it was targeted the other night... Both Moga and Gurpreet are with relatives in a safe place and I'm not sure if they'll ever return.' She added that the wider family is living in fear of further attacks.
Mrs Kaur also defended Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 52, who is in custody awaiting sentencing for assisting an offender after allegedly helping remove the weapon from the scene. She said: 'She only did what any mother would have done, which is to protect her child.'
Digwa was sentenced after Judge William Mousley KC declared he had brought shame upon his family and religion. The court heard Digwa was 'weapons obsessed' and carried multiple blades, including illegal weapons, alongside religious ceremonial items.
