A man with a 'weapon obsession' has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an 18-year-old university student, whom he stabbed five times with a large Sikh dagger. Vickrum Digwa, 23, will serve at least 20 years before being eligible for parole.
When police arrived at the scene in Southampton, Digwa falsely claimed that Henry Nowak had racially abused him and knocked off his turban. Officers arrested and handcuffed the victim before realising he had fatal injuries. Hampshire Police have apologised, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating.
Judge Mousley KC said Digwa had 'brought shame on his family, community and religion' and that his actions had 'stirred up racial tension'. The judge noted that Nowak, who was unarmed, had asked Digwa if he was a 'bad man' after spotting the large knife. The court heard that Digwa wore a small kirpan under his clothing for religious reasons but chose to carry a much larger blade.
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'. He added that Digwa filmed Nowak running away and lying injured, which was 'intrusive and humiliating'.
Nowak's father, Mark Nowak, criticised the police treatment of his son, saying he 'did not die with dignity'. He called on the government to treat knife crime as a national emergency. Nowak's sister Olivia said 650 people attended his funeral, and his mother Lucy Ross recalled his joy at getting into university.
