❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to a “life” sentence with a minimum term of 20 years before the possibility of release for the murder of 18-year-old white teenager Henry Nowak, whom he stabbed five times with a large Sikh dagger. Digwa claimed self-defense, alleging Nowak was drunk and launched a racist attack against him, but the sentencing judge said these were lies.
📰 DETAIL: The murder took place in Southampton, England. Digwa’s false accusations of racism against Nowak saw responding police officers initially arrest him and put him in handcuffs while he bled to death, saying, “Please, brother, I can’t breathe.” The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the officers’ actions. However, sentencing judge William Mousley argued in court that “Henry was complaining that he had been stabbed and was struggling to breathe, but that would not necessarily have told the officers how serious the incident had become,” suggesting punishment may not be forthcoming.
🎯 IMPACT: Nowak’s family called for a “transparent investigation” following Digwa’s sentencing, noting the contrast in their treatment. “Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody. The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading,” noted Nowak’s father, Mark, adding that Digwa was afforded decency. He was believed. He was not handcuffed when arrested. He was not handcuffed when transported to the police station. As far as we understand, he was never handcuffed at all. And, as Vickrum Digwa himself told the court, while under arrest for Henry’s murder, police even took him to the kitchen so he could choose his food. The contrast is unbearable.”
💬 KEY QUOTE: “You have brought shame on your family, your community and your religion,” Judge Mousley told Digwa during sentencing, adding he had “stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which have made many Sikhs worried about their safety.”
