Jury retires in trial of Sikh man accused of killing 18-year-old Henry Nowak

A jury retired today to consider their verdicts in the trial of Vickrum Digwa, who denies charges of murder, manslaughter and carrying a knife in public.

His mother, Kiran Kaur, denies assisting a defendant.

At 12.49pm, jurors sitting on the case at Southampton Crown Court began their deliberations.

The eight women and four men sitting on the jury will now assess all the evidence they have heard in court throughout the trial and attempt to reach a verdict.

Henry Nowak was killed on December 3 last year, as he was walking home from a night out in Southampton.

Today, Judge William Mousley KC summed up the evidence before the jury.

The court heard that Digwa had said Nowak was drunk, "stumbling and weaving”.

The Judge referred to evidence from the pathologist, who told the court Henry Nowak was under the legal limit to drive.

The jury heard the student from Essex had barged into Digwa, saying: “You could have moved up a little bit more.”

A Snapchat video Nowak took on the night was shown in court, in which Nowak says to Digwa: “Say you are a badman, go on”.

Digwa replies: “I am a badman” and approaches Nowak, grabbing his phone.

Digwa told the court Nowak had “punched” his turban off and was “ragging” him about by his hair.

The court heard Nowak was stabbed five times, including a fatal wound in the chest, with what the prosecution called a “21cm Sikh Blade,” or a ‘Kirpan.’

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• MPs to debate UK rejoining EU after Labour opens door to Brexit 'betrayal'
• 'Solarshire not Worcestershire!' Residents in limbo over plan to cover farmland with solar panels
• Energy bills to jump more than £200 a year from July as price cap rises 13 per cent

A Kirpan is a religious knife carried by initiated Sikhs as a mandatory article of faith.

The judge said to the jury a witness had heard one voice shout “you’re not going to get away with this big man” and another voice that sounded scared calling out “I’ve been stabbed”.

Throughout the trial, Digwa said he acted “in self-defence” and that he was racially attacked by Henry Nowak last year.

Last week, the Judge directed the jury to consider an alternative charge of manslaughter.

Digwa pleaded not guilty to the alternative charge.

The Judge read out transcripts from the night, where Henry says “I am dying” and Digwa replies “You are not dying, bro”
Henry Nowak was handcuffed by the police in the moments before he lost consciousness.