Vickrum Digwa has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for the 2025 stabbing death of 18-year-old Polish student Henry Nowak in Southampton.
The Incident and Police Conduct
On December 3, 2025, Vickrum Digwa fatally stabbed 18-year-old Henry Nowak five times with a 21-centimeter Sikh kirpan. Nowak, a first-year university student, was returning home when he was attacked.
Following the stabbing, the assailant falsely accused Nowak of a racially motivated assault. Responding officers initially handcuffed the dying student, an error for which the police have since apologized. The incident is currently under investigation by an independent oversight body.
Court Sentencing and Judge’s Remarks
On June 1, Judge William Mousley sentenced Digwa to life in prison, stating the defendant showed “callous disregard” for his victim. The judge noted that Digwa filmed the scene after the attack and emphasized that there was no evidence to support the murderer’s claims of racism, confirming that Nowak was defenseless.
Judge Mousley condemned the defendant for bringing shame upon his family and religion, adding that his actions incited racial tensions in Southampton and across the country.
Legal Aftermath and Courtroom Tension
During the trial, the victim’s sister, Olivia Nowak, shared the devastating impact of her brother’s death on their family. Digwa was also convicted of possessing a weapon in public, and his mother was found guilty of assisting an offender for removing the knife from the scene.
The prosecution described Digwa as having an “obsession with weapons,” noting he had trained with and kept a blade ready for use. Following the sentencing, a physical altercation erupted in the courtroom between the families of the victim and the perpetrator.
Outside the court, Mark Nowak, the victim’s father, stated that no sentence would bring his son back and called for a full, transparent government investigation into the police response to the incident.
