'He's not been stabbed, he's pretending': Unedited transcript reveals moment Henry Nowak's killer lied about murdering student - and was prompted to make up racism lies by his brother

By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT Published: 09:27, 21 August 2026 | Updated: 09:28, 21 August 2026 Newly released court transcripts reveal the moment Henry Nowak's killer denied murdering the student - before his brother prompted him to lie about being racially abused.  Vikrum Digwa, 23, knifed the 18-year-old five times with a ceremonial dagger after a random confrontation in Southampton last December. Digwa then lied to officers by claiming Mr Nowak shouted racist abuse, punched him and knocked off his turban. Mr Nowak was arrested as he lay covered in his own blood, before dying 'alone, humiliated and handcuffed' in police custody. Digwa was jailed for life last month for a minimum of 21 years.  But as questions continue to be raised about police response to Mr Nowak's murder, an unedited transcript of the trial has been released by the Centre for Justice Policy, a research orgnisation that scrutinises failures in the justice system.  The transcript shows Digwa repeatedly misleading officers about the cause of his victim's injuries as he lay dying on the ground.  'He's not been stabbed,' the killer says of Mr Nowak, despite having knifed him twice in the leg, before adding, 'I don't know what he's talking about' and 'he's pretending'.  Asked during cross-examination why he said this while Nowak's 'face is covered in blood,' Digwa tells prosecuting barrister Nicholas Lobbenberg KC: 'I had no idea that I'd fatally stabbed [him].'  The transcript reveals the Sikh did not make his false racism claim of his own accord, but was prompted to do so by his brother, Gurpreet.  Police bodycam footage showed Vikrum Digwa as he lied to police at the scene, insisting he was the victim Police bodycam footage of Henry Nowak being handcuffed as he lay dying  Mr Nowak was a finance student at the University of Southampton and was described by his family as 'kind and talented'  It shows Gurpreet asking him: 'Did he racially say anything to you?', to which Digwa replies, 'Yeah, he called me a P*** as well.' Asked by Mr Lobbenberg whether he had sought to depict Mr Nowak as a 'drunk racist who'd attacked a Sikh', Digwa replies: 'I did say that, yes.' When the barrister puts to him that the claims were a 'pack of lies', he maintains: 'It's not the lies, it's the truth.' In his sentencing remarks, judge William Mousley KC rejected the killer's claims of racial abuse, stating there was no evidence of any racist remarks by Mr Nowak and the accusation was completely at odds with his character.  The transcript provides further evidence of the role Digwa's brother Gurpreet played in the attempted cover-up of the teenager's murder.  The 27-year-old did not witness the stabbing, but arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.  During a conversation in the back of a police van days after the killing, Gurpreet was recorded urging his brother to claim he acted in 'self-defence'.  Digwa was also aided by his mother, Kiran Kaur, who agreed to take the knife he used to stab Mr Nowak away from the murder scene. The 53-year-old was jailed for three years for assisting an offender. The judge said her actions at Belmont Road before and after taking the dagger away 'added to your son's pretence that he had done nothing wrong and that he was the victim'. He said her role added to the 'degradation of Henry being arrested when he was dying'. Digwa murdered Mr Nowak then shamelessly sought to blame the unarmed student for what happened  Your browser does not support iframes. Digwa's brother Gurpreet covering his face during a hearing at Southampton Magistrates' Court  Kaur's family previously claimed the mother had 'done the right thing'.  Speaking from her home in Southampton, Digwa's grandmother Bimla Kaur, 75, told the Daily Mail: 'I've been to see her in prison and she's doing the best she can.  'She only did what any mother would have done, which is to protect her child. And now she's going to be punished for this.' The court heard Mr Nowak was making his way home following a night out when he had a chance encounter with Digwa. A brief scuffle ensued and Digwa removed his dagger from his sheath, which he carried in accordance with his Sikh faith, and plunged it 8cm (3.5in) into the victim's chest. Digwa further stabbed Mr Nowak twice to the leg, and once in the abdomen, while the victim also sustained a slash mark to his face. Hampshire Police officers then placed mortally wounded Mr Nowak into handcuffs, despite his desperate pleas - captured on police bodycam - that he could not breathe and had been stabbed. One officer replied: 'I don't think you have, mate.' He and a second officer are currently under investigation for potential gross misconduct. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it is investigating potential failures by the officers to realise that Henry needed urgent medical attention, to take action when he said he had been stabbed and could not breathe, and the decision to arrest and handcuff him instead of providing first aid.  Kaur was found guilty of assisting an offender after her son Vickrum Digwa murdered student Henry Nowak with a dagger after a chance encounter last December One of the officers is also under investigation for potentially breaching conduct standards by dismissing the teenager's claim that he had been stabbed. The watchdog is also looking at whether race or religion played a part in the officers' decision making. The footage of Mr Nowak in handcuffs prompted large protests in the streets amid claims of 'two-tier' policing. The victim's family previously vowed to 'never give up in our campaign for justice for Henry'. Their statement added: 'Our focus is on making sure the ongoing investigations leave no stone unturned as we fight for the full truth about what happened last December, and we continue to urge the Government to deliver the changes our wonderful son deserves.'