Vickrum Digwa, 23, has been convicted of murdering 18-year-old Southampton University student Henry Nowak, after a fatal stabbing in Southampton in December 2025. According to court reporting, Digwa told police at the scene that he carried a knife as part of his Sikh faith and that he acted in self-defence, claiming Henry Nowak racially abused him and knocked his turban off, leading police to handcuff Nowak before discovering fatal injuries. The prosecution said Digwa lied about the attack. Digwa receives a minimum prison term of at least 21 years.
Following the sentencing, Digwa is due to return to court at Southampton Magistrates’ Court with his father and brother, who are also charged with weapons offences. Multiple reports also describe earlier concerns about Digwa’s conduct around Sikh ceremonial weapons, including allegations that he had been reported for stealing Sikh ceremonial items worth about £1,000 but was not arrested at the time. Additional reporting states he was banned from at least one gurdwara over behaviour concerns and that he had threatened a worshipper months before the stabbing.
