5 days ago

The family of murdered student, Henry Nowak, said they will carry their grief "every single day" for the rest of their lives and have called on the government to treat knife crime as a "national emergency".

It comes after Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in prison, for a minimum of 21 years, for using a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith to stab the 18-year-old in Southampton in December.

Digwa had lied to police about being the victim of a racist attack and officers arrested and handcuffed Nowak as he lay dying on the ground.

The student's family called his treatment by police "inhumane and degrading". Hampshire police has apologised.

Henry's older sister, Olivia Nowak, called her brother, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, her "best friend" and said they had "an unbreakable bond" in a statement she read out in court about how his death has changed her life.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Donna Jones said: "It was a stressful situation, but mistakes were made and that needs to be uncovered. My job is not to be here to defend the police, my job is to ensure the police are doing what they should be doing."

The PCC added that she had written to the prime minster calling for an "urgent review on the carrying of bladed articles for religious and ceremonial purposes".

The Home Office has been approached for comment.

Bodycam footage released by the force, with the family's permission, shows officers arriving at the scene and speaking to Digwa and others.

Judge William Mousley KC told Southampton Crown Court he was sure that Nowak had not said anything racist to the Sikh man who killed him.

And before sentencing Digwa, he told him his actions had "stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which has made many Sikhs worried about their safety".

Warning: This story contains details some may find upsetting

Olivia Nowak said: "The day we got the knock on the door to say my brother had passed, I don't think there are any words to describe that type of pain. A lot of myself died when he died.

"Henry was the most wonderful, funny, handsome, kind, precious, smart boy. He lit every room he walked in.

"As the eldest of four siblings, watching my younger brothers and sisters grieve the loss of their big brother is a pain layered on top of my own.

"Whenever I'm having a hard day, the only place I want to be is at Henry's grave.

"It is the place where the reality of his loss hits the hardest but the only place I am close to him.

"I feel sad for those who never got to experience life with Henry, even though it was short. If you had known Henry, you would never had hurt him."

A statement written by Henry's mother, Lucy Ross, was read out by prosecutors.

It said: "Being told that your son has died is something no one can ever truly comes to terms with. The circumstances were so tragic and unimaginable that the pain is beyond anything I knew existed."

She said Henry had been the first grandchild of her elderly parents to go to university and it was a moment that had "filled all of us with immense pride".

She described Henry as "ambitious, determined, and full of life" and said "there will always be a hole in our hearts that can never be repaired".

Katie Woodcock, Henry's stepmother, told the court: "I replay the horrors of that night over again. It keeps me awake at night."

She described watching Henry's dad, Mark Nowak "unable to stand" and hearing his "raw, unfiltered sobs" echoing through the house, after the police told them Henry had been stabbed and had died.

She also recalled how she had found one of her children, aged 10, "curled up at the top of stairs, alone and frightened", having "found out in the worst way possible" through overheard conversations.

Henry had joined the family at a pantomime days before he was killed and she said: "We waved him off back to Southampton university, back to the city that was not safe for him."

She described going to clear out Henry's room at university and finding his advent calendar with only the first three doors open, "that broke me," she added.

In the family statement read out after Digwa's sentencing, Mark Nowak said despite the "shocking actions" of the police on the "fateful night" Henry died, his family wanted to express their "heartfelt gratitude" to the murder investigation team.

"They secured justice for our son and for that our family will be forever grateful," he said.

He also thanked the family's police liaison officers and their legal team.

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said he was sorry Henry had been arrested and handcuffed.

The force also promised to act on recommendations made by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating officers' actions.

In a statement Digwa's family said they were "deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the Nowak family has had to endure".

It continues: "We would give anything to turn back time so the path of both Henry and Vickrum never crossed that night. We cannot change what has happened, we just hope that no further pain is caused in its name."

The family added that it "apologises to the Sikh community for our son's actions which have unfairly brought the community into disrepute" and asked that the "tragedy is not used to inflame division or hostility".

PCC Jones said: "At the moment in this country, Vickrum Digwa carrying that knife, it was lawful for him to do that as long as he carried it in a sheath, which he did, as a Sikh gentlemen he is able to carry that knife.

"While the Sikh Federation have come out and condemned what he did and said that wasn't a Kirpan – a much smaller knife carried around the neck – the one that Digwa was carrying was a longer, bigger knife.

"I think we need greater clarity that's why I have written to the prime minister."

The Sikh Press Association said that plans are in process to ensure every initiated Sikh in the UK is addressed directly regarding kirpan rules and responsibility.

Sir Keir Starmer commented on the case in a post on X, where he said: "This an awful, shocking case.

"We must end the cycle of tragedy by tackling the horror of knife crime."