Vickrum Digwa sentenced to life for murder of Henry Nowak in Southampton

Vickrum Digwa, 23, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years for the December 2025 stabbing murder of 18‑year‑old student Henry Nowak on a street in Southampton. In a separate hearing at Southampton Magistrates’ Court, Digwa and his father Moga Singh and brother Gurpreet Digwa were charged with six counts of possessing offensive weapons, including a flick knife, extendable baton, knuckledusters, machete, swords and a kirpan.

The case sparked large protests in Southampton, some turning violent. Digwa’s 75‑year‑old grandmother, Bimla Kaur, spoke publicly for the first time, saying the case “has destroyed two families” – Henry’s and her own – and expressing sorrow while defending her son’s mother, who faces a charge of assisting an offender. She warned that her family members are living in fear of retaliation, noting that her son’s father and brother have gone into hiding after their home was targeted. Digwa had been associated with the Nihang Sikh order, a historic martial tradition, a detail highlighted in the family’s statements.