Full Breakdown
Fatal Stabbing of Henry Nowak in Southampton: Trial of Vickrum Digwa
5/16/2026, 3:55:00 AM
Fatal Stabbing
On 3 December, 18-year-old Henry Nowak, a first-year accountancy and finance student from Chafford Hundred, Essex, was stabbed to death while walking home along Belmont Road in Southampton after a night out. The alleged attacker, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, was captured on video carrying a shastar—a Punjabi term for a knife with a 21 cm blade, openly displayed in a sheath. Neighbours heard Nowak announce he had been stabbed and was dying before he tried to climb a fence. Police handcuffed Nowak, administered first aid, and summoned an ambulance; a doctor arrived by helicopter but could not revive him.
Evidence
The weapon recovered was a 21 cm shastar described as “extremely large.” A post-mortem identified four stab wounds. Nowak’s phone was later found in Digwa’s pocket. Video footage recorded Nowak’s Snapchat messages and the verbal exchange in which he said, “Innit bad man, what bad man…”. Surveillance also showed Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, removing the knife and taking it to a family home on St Deny’s Road.
Official Statements
Crown counsel Nicholas Lobbenberg KC stated that Digwa pursued the victim after the initial wound, failed to seek medical assistance, and accused Nowak of being racist and intoxicated. The defence counsel argued that Digwa acted in self-defence after being racially abused, urging jurors to consider whether his conduct occurred under intense emotional pressure. Police confirmed that officers initially restrained Nowak, provided first aid, and called for an air-lifted doctor, but were unable to prevent his death.
Criticism
Prosecutors criticised Digwa for openly displaying a large knife, for not rendering aid, and for allegedly removing the weapon from the scene through his mother’s actions. They highlighted the contrast between Digwa’s self-defence claim and forensic evidence of multiple stab wounds.
Conflicts
- Digwa alleges racial provocation and self-defence, while the Crown portrays a premeditated attack.
- Kiran Kaur denies assisting an offender, yet video evidence suggests she removed the knife.
- No direct eyewitness observed the stabbing; only neighbours heard Nowak’s cries, leaving the precise sequence of events partially unverified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I am a bad man” — Vickrum Digwa
- “Innit bad man, what bad man. You're a bad man, say you're a bad man, go on” — Henry Nowak (captured on video)
- “He didn't seek help for the man he had injured with his sizeable knife, instead he accused him of being a racist and being drunk.” — Nicholas Lobbenberg KC
- “in the heat of the moment” — Digwa’s defence counsel
Next Steps
The jury has not yet delivered a verdict, and the trial will determine whether Digwa is convicted of murder and whether his mother faces charges for handling the weapon.
