A Sikh man accused of murdering a university student with a ceremonial knife used racism as his 'trump card' to ensure police arrested his dying victim instead, a court has heard.
Prosecution's closing arguments
Prosecutors said Vickrum Digwa, 23, was 'skilled' with blades when he came to murder Henry Nowak, 18, having trained with weapons since he was 12. Digwa is on trial accused of stabbing Mr Nowak three times in the front and three times in the back during a street confrontation.
In his closing speech to jurors at Southampton Crown Court, Nicholas Lobbenberg KC said Digwa must have known the wounds were fatal, despite denying stabbing Mr Nowak at the scene. He said Digwa used racism as his 'trump card', accusing Mr Nowak of racial abuse when police officers arrived so they would arrest the wrong man - a 'wicked lie about a dying man'.
Defendant's background and weaponry
Digwa was said to 'sleep in his bedroom with an arsenal of weapons' and spoke about the Kirpan - a type of ceremonial dagger carried by Sikhs - allegedly used to kill Mr Nowak in 'loving terms'. The finance student was on his way home from a night out when Digwa stabbed him multiple times with the religious blade, prosecutors have said.
Jurors were told that Digwa filmed his victim as he tried to escape by jumping over a fence, leaving behind a trail of blood in Southampton. Mr Nowak was shouting that he was 'going to die', causing his neighbours to call the police - but when the officers arrived they arrested him over the bogus racist abuse allegation. Soon after he was handcuffed, the University of Southampton student collapsed and died from his injuries.
Alleged involvement of mother
Prosecutors also allege that Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, took the blade from her son at the scene and ran to hide it with 'an arsenal of weapons' at their home address. Digwa is charged with murder and possession of a bladed article, and his mother is charged with assisting an offender. Both defendants deny the charges.
Key evidence presented
Mr Lobbenberg told the court that Digwa was carrying an eight-inch (21cm) knife on the night of the attack on December 3 2023. 'On December 3 at around 11 o'clock Vickrum Digwa chose to be on the streets of Southampton with a 21cm knife,' he said. 'He wasn't at a temple, he had been helping with his brother's work for Deliveroo.'
'This is a man who chooses to sleep in his bedroom with an arsenal of weapons. This is a man who likes weapons. You know he searches for them on his phone. He describes the murder weapon in loving terms. You might think that rather odd, given what he did with that knife on that night. Most importantly, he knows how to use weapons. He told you he has been training with weapons since he was 12.'
Allegations of lies
Mr Lobbenberg said that Digwa had lied about Mr Nowak being drunk that night and he was actually under the legal limit of alcohol to drive. He said: 'The biggest lie, ladies and gentlemen, is why he drew his knife. He told you from that witness box, Henry Nowak said he was going to kill me. He was going to f*** me up. We suggest that was never said. You can be sure it was never said because why, if it had been said, would you not tell the 999 operator the most important thing as to why you acted.'
'He didn't tell the police at the scene who were asking. He didn't tell his brother when he was saying what happened. If this was in the forefront of his mind, seared into his memory, why wouldn't you tell someone. Instead, he didn't even put the threat to kill in his defence case statement. It came from him for the first time in the witness box.'
Mr Lobbenberg said that there was a stream of lies from Digwa starting from the minutes after the incident. He said: 'We say this, "drunk" is a lie, "going to kill me" is a lie and we say "P***" is a lie. The consequence and purpose of these lies is significant. Why he tells them is he is seeking to hide what he has done. And racism was his trump card to try to make sure what he had done was lawful. We say that was a wicked lie about a dying man and it is a wicked lie about a dead man to you now.'
Victim's lack of weapon
Mr Lobbenberg said that Mr Nowak was an 'unarmed young man with a phone'. He said: 'He had no weapon. Vickrum Digwa chose to use the knife that he was carrying. A knife that he was skilled in the use of and he stabbed him. It must have been plain that he had hurt him because he would have seen blood.'
He added: 'This is not a case about Sikhism. This is not a case about racism. This is a case about murder.'
Mother's silence
Mr Lobbenberg said that Digwa's mother did not give evidence to the court because she could not explain why she took the Kirpan back to the house. He said: 'She has no answer to her actions that don't incriminate her son and her. That is why she hasn't gone in the witness box. Anything she says will demonstrate her guilt and her son's guilt. For what reason would she take the knife away unless if she needs to take it away before the police come.'
Legal context
In the UK Sikhs are legally permitted to carry a Kirpan knife in public as it is protected under religious exemption laws. However Digwa was found to have a small Kirpan around his neck that fulfilled his religious obligation and the 'Shastar' blade he carried on him was much larger - around eight inches. The trial continues.
