On the night Digwa, 23, murdered Nowak, 18, Digwa told police that Nowak had "racially abused" him. This was revealed to be a lie. Digwa pleaded not guilty to stabbing Nowak to death. Kaur was separately accused of assisting an offender by allegedly removing the weapon from the scene. Both defendants, of St Denys Road, deny the offences.
Police cuffed Nowak, the victim of a brutal stabbing, and allowed him to bleed out and die in the street over allegations that he'd said something unkind. He had been stabbed five times. The Hampshire police apologized for their actions following the verdict and an investigation into their actions is underway by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
"This case is an absolute tragedy. I’m sorry that Henry’s life couldn’t be saved that night, and I’m sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested. He was the victim," said deputy chief constable Robert France. He further claimed that the injuries were so bad that Nowak had no chance of survival whether he was cuffed and left to die in the street or not.
As to whether or not fears of being called racist played into the officer's decision to cuff Nowak instead of his killer, France said "There’s an ongoing investigation by the IOPC, which will look into all of the information available to officers, their accounts of the decisions they made and why they made those decisions. What I can say at the moment is that it is clear that there were lies told [by Digwa] as the incident played out. That’s made it more difficult for officers to understand what had happened."
At the trial, Digwa said he acted in self-defense. However, it was revealed that after he initially stabbed Nowak, Nowak attempted to flee, even trying to climb over a fence, only to have Digwa pursue him. Nowak had been heading home after a night out with his football team.
The Sikh community issued a statement, claiming that there had been "considerable abuse and hate during the trial" directed at them and their habit of carrying ceremonial blades. "The wider Sikh community has unacceptably faced considerable abuse and hate during the trial as many do not understand the law, the significance of the kirpan or the responsibility associated with wearing a kirpan," they wrote.
Then they blamed the police, saying, "The actions of police officers who handcuffed the victim just before he died has not helped and given an opportunity for many to criticise the police, but it has also unnecessarily stirred up community hatred.
"We want to make absolutely clear the law only provides fully practising Sikhs with a defence under the law to wear a kirpan for religious reasons," they went on. "If a kirpan or a bladed item is used aggressively in an act of violence the defence under the law for a kirpan does not apply and it is deemed an offensive weapon.
"We understand in this case the weapon that may have been used was not the normal kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs. This nuance is critically important and may not have been explained or understood by those asked to give evidence in this case."
During closing arguments at Southampton Crown Court, prosecutors told the jury that Digwa attempted to use racism as a “trump card” to justify his actions. The comments were made on the ninth day of the trial. Digwa faced charges of manslaughter and carrying a knife in a public place.
“Racism was his trump card to try and make sure he was believed that what he had done was lawful,” Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC told the court. “And we say that was a wicked lie about a dying man. And it is a wicked lie about a dead man to you now. He knows full well what he has done, he is just not saying it to police, and he is not saying it to you," he said, according to the Daily Echo. Prosecutors also told the court that Digwa had no religious requirement to carry the weapon in question.
In January 2024, Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to ban the carrying of "ninja swords," saying "Knife crime is at epidemic levels and is ruining lives across Britain. As Prime Minister, I'll crack down on sales of these lethal weapons once and for all. When I announce a ban, you’ll get a ban."
The occurrence of knife violence in the UK has led actor Idris Elba to suggest banning kitchen knives. "The truth is, is that kitchen knives are perhaps 25% of the knives used in the most terrible crimes," Elba said in a viral clip. "...And those kitchen knives are usually a domestic situation. Okay. So kitchen knives, of course it's very difficult, they're a domestic knife. I do think there are areas of innovation that we can do with kitchen knives."
UK laws on carrying knives allow it for very few reasons, but religious reasons are chief among them. It is illegal to "carry most knives or any weapons in public without a 'good reason'," or to "sell most knives or any weapons to anyone under the age of 18." Pocket knives that are not longer than three inches and pocket knives that are not "lock knives" are exceptions.
Those good reasons include "for your work," "for religious reasons, such as the kirpan some Sikhs carry," which is what Digwa was carrying, and "as part of any national costume." Self-defense is not considered a "good reason" for anyone in the UK to carry a knife. Under these laws, even bans would not prevent a man such as Digwa from carrying his blade.
