Overview
- A jury convicted 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak and on Monday sentenced him to life with a minimum term of 21 years for stabbing Nowak with a 21cm blade.
- The Crown Prosecution Service released police body-worn camera footage with the family’s permission that shows Nowak repeatedly saying “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe” while officers handcuffed him as he lay wounded.
- Hampshire Constabulary has apologised for handcuffing the dying student and has referred the officers’ conduct to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is reviewing extensive footage and said it will report within about three months.
- Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, was convicted of assisting an offender for attempting to hide the weapon and is due to be sentenced in July while the Attorney General’s Office is considering requests to review Digwa’s sentence.
- The case has prompted protests, sharp political debate and renewed calls to review the legal exemption for carrying ceremonial kirpans, and it has raised concerns about misinformation, threats to officers and risks to community relations.