Key facts
- Vickrum Digwa admitted to stabbing Henry Nowak multiple times in a police van on December 5, 2025.
- The confession occurred while Digwa and his brother, Gurpreet, were being transported.
- Digwa initially claimed self-defense and a racial attack to police.
- The brothers discussed the murder weapon, referred to as a 'kirpan' by Digwa.
- Digwa's mother was convicted of assisting an offender for removing the murder weapon.
- Both Vickrum and Gurpreet Digwa, along with their father, face weapons charges.
Vickrum Digwa, who murdered Southampton university student Henry Nowak on December 3, 2025, confessed to the crime within 36 hours of the act, according to a transcript of a conversation with his brother, Gurpreet. The exchange took place in the back of a police van on December 5, 2025, as the brothers were being transported between a police station and a court for a custody extension hearing.
During the conversation, translated from Punjabi, Digwa admitted to stabbing Nowak multiple times, pointing to his shoulder, face, and chest. This contradicted his earlier claims to police and his family that he had been racially attacked and had only acted in self-defense by pushing and punching the student.
The brothers also discussed the weapon used, which Vickrum Digwa referred to as a 'kirpan.' The use of this term was disputed, as a kirpan is typically a ceremonial blade, while Digwa used a larger dagger. Gurpreet advised his brother on how to describe the weapon, suggesting he refer to it as a 'kirpan' after consulting with a solicitor.
Both brothers prayed to God for protection and mercy, expressing concern about their parents, who were also in police custody at the time. Their mother, Kiran Kaur, was later convicted of assisting an offender for removing the murder weapon at Vickrum's request. Vickrum Digwa, Gurpreet Digwa, and their father, Moga Singh, have all been charged with multiple weapons offenses, with a trial scheduled for September 2027.
Judge William Mousley KC noted that Digwa had abused the privilege afforded to Sikhs to carry a knife for religious reasons and had dishonored his religion. He stated that Digwa's minimum jail term might have been shorter had he not lied to the police and instead provided the account he gave to his brother.