Mother of Vickrum Digwa jailed for assisting an offender after she took knife from scene of Henry Nowak's murder and hid it

By RYAN HOOPER, CRIME CORRESPONDENT Published: 15:11, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 15:29, 17 July 2026 The mother of Henry Nowak's murderer has been jailed after she was convicted of helping cover up what happened. Kiran Kaur removed the dagger used to stab defenceless student Mr Nowak to death from the crime scene after her son, Vickrum Digwa, launched an unprovoked attack. Digwa, 23, was jailed for life last month for murdering Mr Nowak, 18, who died in police handcuffs on a night out in December last year after a chance encounter with his assailant. She was handed a three-year jail term as she appeared at Southampton Crown Court for her sentencing today after hearing she played a 'crucial role' in what happened. Sentencing Kaur, Judge William Mousley KC said: 'A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encourage them to do the right thing. 'Instead you took the knife home and put it with a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in your son's bedroom. 'That would have helped to conceal what it had been used for.' Kiran Kaur was found guilty of assisting an offender after her son Vickrum Digwa murdered student Henry Nowak with a dagger Kaur and her son were convicted following a trial in May for their contrasting roles in what happened to Mr Nowak and the subsequent attempts to absolve Digwa of blame. 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. Digwa, with brother Gurpreet arriving on the scene shortly after the attack, then filmed his victim as he attempted to get away from his attacker. Digwa lied when police turned up a short time later, falsely claiming that Mr Nowak was the attacker, had punched and kicked Digwa, knocked his turban off, and had made a racist remark. 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.' Vickrum Digwa murdered Mr Nowak then shamelessly sought to blame the unarmed student for what happened  He and a second officer are currently under investigation for potential gross misconduct. Digwa's mother, Kaur, and father, Moga Singh, had by now arrived at the scene, and Digwa secretly told his mother to take the dagger home. Mr Nowak died at the scene. Digwa was later secretly recorded speaking in Punjabi to his older brother Gurpreet Digwa, in which the attacker agreed to pretend he had acted in self-defence even though he earlier confessed to his brother he had stabbed Mr Nowak. He also told Gurpreet that if there were any cameras at the scene he would be unable to put forward self-defence. Digwa was handed a life sentence in June this year with a minimum term of 21 years before being considered eligible for parole. Judge William Mousley KC told the defendant, who showed no emotion: 'In addition to killing Henry, and the irreparable harm to those close to him, you have also caused real suffering to others who knew him. 'You have brought shame upon your family, your community and your religion. 'Your actions have stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which have made many Sikhs worried about their own safety even though they have done absolutely nothing wrong.' Mr Nowak, 18, was unarmed and had barely a trace of alcohol in his system when he was attacked by armed thug Digwa in December last year He described Mr Nowak, the first in his family to attend university, as a 'much-loved, kind, hard-working and ambitious young man, devoted to his family and with a bright future'. Sir Keir Starmer previously said he 'felt sick' watching footage of police handcuffing Mr Nowak as he lay dying, and that there are 'serious questions' to answer about the case. The footage also prompted large protests in the streets. Earlier this month, Digwa, older brother Gurpreet, and their father Singh all appeared in court charged with weapons offences. Digwa denied owning weapons including two flick knives, an extendable baton, eight knuckle dusters, three machetes, a traditional Japanese weapon, three ninja swords and 37 other swords.  Gurpreet, 27, and Singh, 52, have also been charged with owning illegal weapons at their home in Southampton. The alleged weapons offences took place on December 4, 2025, at the family's home on St Denys Road in the Hampshire city. They denied all charges and are due to go on trial in September next year.