At Southampton Crown Court, jurors heard how 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa allegedly stabbed 18-year-old University of Southampton finance student Henry Nowak six times with a 21cm ceremonial blade on 3 December 2023. Prosecutors say the fatal attack was followed by Digwa making false claims of racism to deflect suspicion, leading to Mr Nowak’s arrest before he later died from his injuries.
Defence Denies Murder Charge
Digwa denies the charges of murder and possession of a bladed article. His mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, also denies assisting an offender after prosecutors accused her of removing and hiding the knife along with an “arsenal of weapons” at their home.
Prosecutor Highlights Weapon Expertise
Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC told the jury that Digwa had trained with weapons since age 12 and carried a large kirpan-style knife beyond the small religious blade he wore. He claimed Digwa lied about Nowak’s behaviour, denying accusations that Nowak was drunk, aggressive, or threatening.
Racism Claims Rejected
Mr Lobbenberg described claims of racial slurs and threats as a “trump card” used to try to justify the stabbing/" title="Stabbing" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">stabbing, telling the court: “This is not a case about Sikhism. This is not a case about racism. This is a case about murder.” The prosecution stressed the legal right of Sikhs to carry kirpans but argued the larger blade exceeded this exemption.
Victims Final Moments
The court heard Mr Nowak attempted to flee after the attack, leaving a trail of blood and shouting he was dying before police arrived and initially arrested him based on Digwa’s reports. He later died in custody from his wounds. The trial is ongoing.
