A man has been found guilty of murdering an 18-year-old university student with a 21cm knife, after falsely claiming he carried the blade for religious reasons and that the victim had racially abused him.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, stabbed Henry Nowak five times as the teenager walked home after a night out with his football team in Southampton on 3 December. When police arrived, Digwa alleged Nowak had knocked his turban off and used racial slurs, leading officers to handcuff the dying student before discovering his fatal wounds.
At Southampton Crown Court, Digwa’s defence argued he acted in self-defence and carried the knife as part of his Sikh faith. However, the prosecution said Digwa wore a small ceremonial kirpan under his clothing, which satisfied his religious obligation, and that the larger blade was unnecessary. Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC called the racism allegation a “wicked lie” and said Digwa used it as a “trump card” to justify his actions.
After the verdict, Hampshire Police apologised for handcuffing Nowak. Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating, adding that the officers “misunderstood what was happening” due to Digwa’s lies. He also stated that the pathologist confirmed Nowak’s injury was so severe that nothing could have saved him that night.
The judge, William Mousley KC, told the jury that carrying a knife of that size could be lawful only for a good reason, such as self-defence or religion, and that the burden was on Digwa to prove it. Digwa was found guilty and is due to be sentenced.
