Mother of Henry Nowak's killer jailed for removing murder weapon from scene

Kiran Kaur, 53, has been sentenced to three years in prison for concealing the knife used to kill 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton.

Killer's mother jailed for hiding ceremonial knife used in Southampton murder

Kiran Kaur, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday at Southampton Crown Court after being found guilty of assisting an offender — removing the knife used by her son to kill Henry Nowak, 18, and concealing it at their family home.

The Sun reports that her son, Vickrum Digwa, 23, stabbed Nowak — a finance student — with a Sikh ceremonial knife on a Southampton street on 3 December 2025. Kaur retrieved the weapon and brought it back to the family home, where it was placed among a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in Digwa's bedroom.

Sentencing Kaur, Judge William Mousley KC said: "A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encourage them to do the right thing. Instead, you took the knife home and put it with a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in your son's bedroom. That would have helped to conceal what it had been used for."

During Digwa's murder trial, it emerged that he had lied to police about the events leading up to the stabbing, falsely claiming that Nowak had racially abused him. Judge Mousley stated in his sentencing remarks that he was "sure that Henry had said nothing racist."

The case drew further public attention after body-worn camera footage was released showing Nowak being placed in handcuffs shortly before he lost consciousness and died. Two Hampshire police officers involved in that arrest are now under investigation for potential gross misconduct.

Digwa was sentenced in June to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years for Nowak's murder. That sentence was subsequently referred to the Court of Appeal as "unduly lenient" by Solicitor General Ellie Reeves. Digwa is also separately seeking to appeal against both his conviction and his sentence.

In his original sentencing remarks, Judge Mousley described Digwa as showing a "callous disregard" for Nowak's wellbeing, noting that the killer continued filming Nowak as he suffered and "ignoring much of his desperation at having been stabbed." The judge said Digwa told the victim that he had not been stabbed, "no doubt to convince others who were nearby."

Digwa, his brother, and his father have additionally been charged with multiple weapons offences following a search of the family home. All three appeared in court earlier this month, pleading not guilty to charges including possessing 37 swords, flick-knives, an axe, and eight knuckledusters — all offences dated 4 December 2025, the day after the murder. The trio are due to stand trial in September 2027. Digwa attended the magistrates' court hearing by video link from HMP Frankland.

Source: The Sun