A 23-year-old British Sikh man was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday after he was convicted of killing a student with a blade. 18-year-old Henry Nowak was walking back home in Southampton after spending an evening with friends when Vickrum Digwa stabbed him with the 21 cm blade.
After the stabbing, Digwa lied to the police about being the victim of a racist attack. He told the cops that his turban had been knocked off and he had suffered injuries.
The Curious Case Of The Attack Weapon
Judge William Mousley of the Southampton Crown Court said that Digwa killed Nowak with a large knife that he kept attached to his belt. Mousley said that Nowak asked the Digwa if he was a “bad man”, which led him to feel that he was insulted.
“I am sure Henry said nothing racist,” Mousley added.
“You have brought shame upon your family and your religion,” the judge said during the case about the kirpan. He said that a religious item should not have been used for an “offensive purpose”.
“Your actions have stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country, which has made many Sikhs worried about their safety,” he said.
Regarding the kirpan, the Sikh Federation UK said the Crown Prosecution Service should have clarified that the weapon used was not a kirpan.
“The murder weapon is of Persian origin and known by an entirely different name. It is not a Sikh ceremonial knife, as many like Reform continue to describe,” the statement read.
The Crown Prosecution later denied describing the attack weapon as a kirpan.
Cops Arrest Nowak
The officers arrested and handcuffed Nowak while he was dying. Footage from the officers; body cameras show that Nowak was made to sit upright to be handcuffed. He kept saying, “I’ve been stabbed.”
However, the officer said, “You’ve been stabbed, whereabouts?”, then added, “Don’t think you have, mate.”
After a few minutes, Nowak stopped responding, and subsequently an ambulance was called.
The victim’s family called the treatment by the police “inhuman and degrading”, according to the BBC. Nowak’s father, Mark, said that he told officers, “I can’t breathe,” nine times.
“Instead of being treated as a dying victim, police formally arrested Henry and read him his rights. That was the last thing he heard,” he said.
Meanwhile, Digwa’s family apologised to Nowak’s family and said that the incident brought upon “disrepute” to the Sikh community.
The jury found Digwa guilty of murdering Nowak in the incident, and he must serve at least 21 years of the sentence.
