Mother of Henry Nowak’s Killer Jailed for Three Years for Removing Murder Weapon

Kiran Kaur and Henry Nowak

Mother of Henry Nowak’s Killer Jailed for Three Years for Removing Murder Weapon

The mother of a man convicted of murdering an 18-year-old university student has been sentenced to three years in prison for removing the knife used in the killing from the scene of the crime. Kiran Kaur, 53, of St Denys Road, Southampton, was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court in May of assisting an offender after she took possession of the 21cm blade used by her son, Vickrum Digwa, to fatally stab Henry Nowak on 3 December 2025. The sentencing took place on 17 July 2026, with Judge William Mousley KC presiding.

Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old finance student from Essex, was walking home from a night out in Southampton when he was attacked by Digwa. The altercation began over a mobile phone, with Digwa using a ceremonial-style knife he carried in a cross-body sheath over his clothing. He claimed he carried it in keeping with the traditions of the Nihang warrior sect within Sikhism, though many Sikhs dispute descriptions of the murder weapon as a kirpan, saying a kirpan is a small ceremonial blade worn as an article of faith. Following the stabbing, Digwa lied to police, falsely claiming he had been the victim of a racist attack and that Nowak had knocked off his turban. This false narrative led to a shocking sequence of events: police officers handcuffed the dying teenager at the scene while he repeatedly pleaded that he had been stabbed. Bodycam footage released by the police showed Nowak telling officers multiple times that “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe”. It took officers eight minutes to discover the fatal wound to his heart, and Nowak died “terrified” and “alone”. The case sparked national outrage, protests across Southampton, and accusations of “two-tier policing”.

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In the immediate aftermath of the killing, Digwa handed the murder weapon to his mother. Instead of challenging her son or encouraging him to do the right thing, Kaur took the knife back to the family home on St Denys Road in Southampton and placed it among a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in her son’s bedroom. The weapon was not recovered by police until seven days after the attack, severely hampering the investigation. Judge Mousley told Kaur during sentencing that a “responsible parent would have challenged their son” and asked their child to “do the right thing”. He noted that by hiding the knife among other weapons, her actions “helped to conceal what it had been used for” and “added to your son’s pretence that he had done nothing wrong and that he was the victim”. He acknowledged that Kaur was unlikely to reoffend and that her motive was “mistakenly, to protect your son rather than for any personal gain”, but ruled that the seriousness of the offence required a custodial sentence to deter others.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg described Kaur’s actions as “criminality of the highest order” and said her role was “crucial” in removing the murder weapon from the scene, contributing to Henry dying “terrified, alone and disbelieved”. Defence barrister Mark Watson argued that Kaur’s actions were a “spontaneous act carried out in a matter of moments” driven by an “instinctive desire to protect her child”, adding that she was “equally misled” by her son’s lies. Kaur, who appeared emotional in the dock and required a Punjabi interpreter, dabbed her eyes with a tissue as she was led away to begin her sentence.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years on 1 June 2026 for the murder of Henry Nowak. His sentence was later referred to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General as potentially “unduly lenient”. It has also been confirmed that Digwa is seeking permission to appeal against his conviction and sentence. Following Kaur’s sentencing, Kelly Newman of the Crown Prosecution Service stated: “Those who seek to help murderers evade justice should be in no doubt that they too will be held accountable for their actions”.

An Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation into the police response remains ongoing, with two officers under investigation for potential gross misconduct, including failures to realise Henry needed urgent medical attention and the decision to arrest and handcuff him instead of providing first aid. Hampshire Police have apologised to the Nowak family. A full inquest into Henry Nowak’s death will be held at Winchester Coroner’s Court on 20 September 2027, examining whether any “act or omission by a police officer” caused or contributed to his death. Separately, Digwa, his father Moga Singh, 52, and his brother Gurpreet Digwa, 27, have pleaded not guilty to multiple weapons charges related to a large collection of weapons found at the family home, including machetes, swords, knuckledusters, and other offensive weapons.