Sikh man on trial for the murder of a student pleads not guilty to manslaughter

A Sikh man accused of murdering an 18-year-old student told the court “it was an act of self-defence”.

Victrum Digwa, 23, is on trial at Southampton Crown Court.

His mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, is also on trial, accused of assisting a defendant by allegedly removing the weapon from the scene.

Today, Judge William Mousley KC told the jury that Digwa would face a charge of manslaughter as an alternative charge to murder.

Addressing the jury, the judge explained the alternative charge: “If a person may not have deliberately have caused the fatal injury or may not have intended to kill or cause reasonably serious harm, he or she is not guilty of murder.

In earlier cross-examination, he claimed he had no intention of fatally stabbing 18-year-old Henry Nowak from Essex, who the prosecution said was wounded five times, including a fatal wound to the chest.

The court heard that Digwa was carrying a ‘Kirpan’, a religious knife carried by initiated Sikhs as a mandatory article of faith.

Digwa told the court, “I have an interest in antique Sikh weapons”.

The incident took place on December 3 on Belmont Road, when Mr Nowak was walking home from a night out with his football team.

During the trial, the court heard that Mr Nowak had barged into Mr Digwa. The defendant told the court: “I was petrified at the time, as he pulled out his phone to record his attack on me.”

The defendant told the court that Mr Nowak allegedly said to him: “I’m going to kill you.”

When questioned in court, Digwa said: “After hearing those words, I thought he was going to use my own kirpan against me.”

He said: “The kirpan is used as a final resort.”

The defence said Mr Nowak punched Mr Digwa’s turban and Mr Digwa told the court “Henry was punching me and ragging me about from my hair.”

The prosecution then referred to evidence heard earlier in the trial, from a pathologist who said "there's no evidence Henry had been punching people with his hands.”

The court heard that after the attack, Henry Nowak called out several times, saying “I have been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe”.

Transcripts from the night were read out by the prosecution, in which Henry Nowak is heard saying “I am dying” and Digwa replies “You’re not dying bro.”

Continuing, the prosecution said that about 10 minutes later, Mr Nowak said “You stabbed me” and Digwa replied “No I didn't” and said “You started recording me, thinking you're sick”.

The court then saw a brief image from a video that Digwa took of Mr Nowak.

The prosecution asked the defendant: “He's lying on the floor saying he was dying and you made a video of his face, why?” To which Digwa replied: “I don't know why.”

When police were called to the scene, the prosecution said Digwa repeated that Nowak was “pretending”.

Before the jury, Digwa said: “I thought that he was pretending to be in a worse condition than he was.”

Today in court, Digwa admitted that when speaking to police on the night of the incident, “I did not mention the full truth and that I had stabbed him”.

The prosecution said to Digwa: “Whilst he’s saying he can't breathe you’re explaining [to the police] that you have a swollen eye.”

The jury heard Nowak’s final words before going silent: “Please brother, I can’t breathe.”

Henry Nowak died at the scene.

The prosecution also read evidence from a conversation Digwa had with his brother while in custody, where his brother asked him “Why did you use the kirpan” and he replied “I am a fool, I am an idiot.”

Digwa denies all charges.

The trial continues.