Vickrum Digwa, 23, took the stand at Southampton Crown Court this week and told the jury he acted in self-defence when he stabbed 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak on December 3, 2025, saying he feared Nowak was about to use his own ceremonial blade against him.
Digwa said Nowak, whom he described as drunk, barged into him on Belmont Road in Southampton’s Portswood district, called him a racial slur, pulled off his turban, and punched him. “I thought I had to do something because I was afraid he’d stab me,” he told the court.
Prosecution evidence directly contradicts that account. Phone footage recorded on the night captured Digwa saying “I am a bad man” moments before the attack. Nowak’s mobile phone was found in Digwa’s pocket. Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC pointed the jury to footage showing Digwa’s hair in a tight bun during the pursuit but loose when police arrived. “Why has he put his hair down for the arrival of the police?” Lobbenberg asked.
A post-mortem examination found Nowak suffered four stab wounds, including two to the back of the legs and a fatal chest wound. Forensic analysis identified Nowak’s blood on the 21-cm shastar, a Sikh ceremonial blade, and DNA belonging to Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, on the weapon’s sheath. Kaur faces a separate charge of assisting an offender by removing the weapon from the scene and denies the allegation.
When police arrived, Digwa told officers Nowak had racially abused and attacked him. According to prosecution testimony, officers handcuffed the visibly wounded Nowak before administering first aid. Nowak subsequently collapsed and was pronounced dead at the scene. Hampshire Police has not publicly explained the officers’ conduct. No officer faces charges or disciplinary proceedings as of May 22, 2026.
🇬🇧 Henry Nowak was stabbed 5 times and died at 18.
Police showed up, and handcuffed the victim instead.
Why? The suspect claimed racial abuse and denied the knife.
The bodycam footage is damning… Justice for Henry.
Source: @IntCyberDigest https://t.co/rtpXzdNafi pic.twitter.com/e9alhfZL07
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 21, 2026
The jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict in the coming days as the trial at Southampton Crown Court concludes.
