Police apologise for arresting dying teen after killer's 'wicked' racism lie - as man found guilty of ceremonial knife murder

Police have apologised for arresting a university student as he bled to death after being stabbed in the street with a ceremonial knife.

Vickrum Digwa was convicted of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak by stabbing him to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife with an eight-inch (21cm) blade.

The 23-year-old told police he was the victim of a racist attack after he knifed the finance student five times in Southampton on 3 December 2025.

He also did not tell officers he had stabbed the first-year student with the Sikh kirpan, as officers arrested and handcuffed Mr Nowak.

The victim then fell unconscious and died from his injuries at the scene as officers tried to administer first aid.

Now the trial is over, the case has been referred to the police watchdog - Independent Office for Police Conduct - to investigate the officers' actions.

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France, of Hampshire Constabulary, apologised on behalf of the officers for being unaware of Mr Nowak's injuries.

He said: "I want to say that I am sorry that Henry couldn't be saved that night. I'm sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested in the moments before he lost consciousness."

Digwa was also convicted of carrying a bladed weapon in public, and his mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty of assisting an offender by removing the weapon from the scene.

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The 23-year-old is set to be sentenced on Monday, while Kaur is to be sentenced on 17 July.

Under Sikh practice, a kirpan is carried in a sheath and must be worn in a holster. Unsheathing it for aggressive reasons violates the Sikh code of conduct.

It's legal to possess a kirpan for religious reasons in the UK, but restrictions apply. However, a blade less than 19in (50cm) is not covered by the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Offensive Weapons Act 2019.

In the lead up to the attack, Digwa was filmed by his victim telling him "I am a bad man" moments before the knife attack, which saw Mr Nowak - from Chafford Hundred, Essex - suffer a fatal stab wound to his heart.

Nicholas Lobbenberg KC, prosecuting, told the court that on the night of the murder, Digwa was wearing "an extremely large knife in a sheath openly displayed over his clothing" - a 8in (21cm) shastar, the Punjabi word for weapon or knife - as well as a smaller kirpan around his neck and under clothing.

Digwa told the court that Mr Nowak, whom he described as drunk, had racially abused him before punching him and knocking his turban off.

The court heard a post-mortem examination found that Mr Nowak suffered four stab wounds and a cut to his jaw, with two of the wounds to the back of his legs.

Police apologise after Digwa 'lied to' officers

Mr Lobbenberg said Digwa told a "wicked lie" to police about being a victim of a racist attack and that he "lied" by saying he had not stabbed Mr Nowak.

Police initially handcuffed Mr Nowak, and only started giving him first aid when he then collapsed before dying, the prosecutor said.

Digwa told the court he stabbed Mr Nowak to the back of his legs in self-defence after Mr Nowak threatened him and grabbed him by the hair.

He said he had not realised at the time he caused the fatal stab wound to his chest.

Digwa also claimed he asked his mother, who along with his father arrived at the scene, to hold his kirpan while he picked up his religious items which had fallen to the ground during the struggle.

The prosecution said Kaur took the kirpan back to the nearby family home where it was later found.

'I am a bad man,' defendant said

Jurors were previously shown a video of the incident, which was found on Mr Nowak's phone that was discovered in Digwa's pocket.

In the video, played to jurors, Mr Nowak can be heard saying "Hello car" and singing to himself before yawning, with the footage then cutting to show Digwa walking away from him.

Mr Nowak is then heard saying: "Innit bad man, what bad man. You're a bad man, say you're a bad man, go on."

Digwa replied: "I am a bad man."

The prosecutor also told the court that Digwa is "a man who likes weapons," had described the murder weapon in "loving terms," and that he "sleeps in a bedroom with an arsenal of weapons".

Weapon not a normal kirpan: Sikh Federation

In a statement after the conviction, the Sikh Federation said: "Henry's life has tragically been cut short by a moment of madness by an individual for which there can be no excuses".

It added: "If a kirpan or a bladed item is used aggressively in an act of violence, the defence under the law for a kirpan does not apply and it is deemed an offensive weapon.

"We understand in this case the weapon that may have been used was not the normal kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs.

"This nuance is critically important and may not have been explained or understood by those asked to give evidence in this case."

(c) Sky News 2026: Police apologise for arresting dying teen after killer's 'wicked' racism lie - as man found guilty