A man filmed an 18-year-old student as he bled to death after stabbing him multiple times with a large ceremonial Sikh blade, a court has heard — with prosecutors alleging he then falsely accused the dying teenager of making racist remarks to justify the attack.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, is on trial at Southampton Crown Court charged with murdering finance student Henry Nowak on 3 December 2023. Henry, who was studying at the University of Southampton, was making his way home from a night out when Digwa allegedly stabbed him repeatedly with a Shastar — a ceremonial Sikh blade measuring 21 centimetres — leaving him with five stab wounds.
Prosecutors told the jury that Digwa was heard saying “I’m a bad man” before filming his victim as Henry desperately tried to escape, jumping over a fence and leaving a trail of blood. Henry was heard screaming that he was “going to die,” prompting neighbours to call the police. When officers arrived, they arrested Henry after Digwa claimed the teenager had been racially abusive towards him. Henry died soon after being handcuffed from his wounds.
Nicholas Lobbenberg KC, prosecuting, told the court that Digwa had chosen to be on the streets of Southampton that night carrying a 21-centimetre knife — not at a temple, but while helping his brother with a Deliveroo delivery. He described Digwa as a man deeply familiar with weapons who “liked” blades, searched for them on his phone and described the murder weapon “in loving terms.” Police searching the family home found 20 bladed articles. “This is a man who chooses to sleep in his bedroom with an arsenal of weapons,” Mr Lobbenberg said. “Most importantly, he knows how to use weapons. He told you he has been training with weapons since he was 12.”
The prosecution alleged that Digwa fabricated his account of the events leading up to the stabbing, falsely portraying Henry as drunk and aggressive and inventing a racial slur to make his actions appear lawful. “Drunk is a lie, ‘going to kill me’ is a lie and we say ‘P*ki’ is a lie,” Mr Lobbenberg told jurors. “Racism was his trump card to try to make sure what he had done was lawful. We say that was a wicked lie about a dying man and it is a wicked lie about a dead man to you now.” He described Henry as “an unarmed young man with a phone.”
The court heard that while Sikhs are legally permitted to carry a Kirpan in public under religious exemption laws, Digwa was already wearing a small Kirpan around his neck that fulfilled that religious obligation. The larger Shastar blade he carried was a separate weapon. Judge William Mousley KC, summarising Digwa’s evidence, noted the defendant had said: “I do have an interest in antique Sikh weapons. We give demonstrations and I do know how to use them. I am proud of that, and we have been doing that since we were 10.”
Mr Lobbenberg was direct in framing the case for the jury. “This is not a case about Sikhism. This is not a case about racism. This is a case about murder,” he said.
Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, is also on trial charged with assisting an offender. Prosecutors allege she took the blade from her son at the scene and ran to hide it alongside other weapons at the family home. Both defendants deny the charges. Jurors have retired to consider their verdicts.
