Henry Nowak’s family remain ‘incredibly disappointed’ after killer Vickrum Digwa’s mum was jailed for removing the knife her son used to kill the student from the scene
The family of murdered teen Henry Nowak has issued a statement after Vickrum Digwa’s mum was jailed for removing the knife her son used to kill the 18-year-old from the scene.
Kiran Kaur was jailed for three years at Southampton Crown Court today for assisting an offender when she took the weapon back to the nearby family home on the night of the attack on December 3, 2025.
The 53-year-old, of St Denys Road, Southampton, was found guilty by jurors in May and has spent more than seven months in custody since her arrest.
Henry’s family said they remain “disappointed” following the sentencing today. “While we accept today’s sentencing decision, nonetheless we remain incredibly disappointed,” the family said.
“We will never give up in our campaign for justice for Henry. Our focus is on making sure the ongoing investigations leave no stone unturned as we fight for the full truth about what happened last December, and we continue to urge the government to deliver the changes our wonderful son deserves.”
Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years on June 1 for the murder of Henry, who was a finance student at the University of Southampton.
Digwa had falsely claimed Henry racially abused him.
The court heard the knife was recovered after examination of CCTV, and determined by officers to be the murder weapon around a week after Henry was killed.
Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC told the court Kaur’s role was “crucial” in removing the murder weapon at a time the police were coming to the scene.
He said: “The absence of weapon at the scene caused by her actions hampered the police attending who were, as your Honour will recall, were confronted with a wall of lies.
“She chose not to disclose what she had done. Absence of that weapon led to Henry dying terrified, alone and disbelieved, her actions contributed to this.”
Sentencing Kaur today, 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. This is because you wanted him to avoid being caught.”
Barrister Mark Watson, defending Kaur, said she had received a phone call that her son had been attacked, and was “equally misled” as Digwa lied to those around him about what happened.
He said what she did was a “spontaneous” act, not a calculated plan, adding: “The weapon was not destroyed, it was not cleaned, it was not broken up and hidden.”
The knife was still within its sheath, he added. “Offending arose during a moment of panic and human frailty, the court may think,” he said.
He said the mum-of-five was a pillar of her family and community and showed positive good character before the incident, including through volunteer work, as he requested the judge hand down a suspended sentence.
Kaur, aided by a Punjabi interpreter, appeared emotional in the dock, drying her eyes with tissues during her mitigation.
A full inquest into Henry’s death is due to be held in Winchester next year.