The sentencing of Kiran Kaur has added another significant chapter to the tragic case surrounding the murder of 18-year-old University of Southampton student Henry Nowak. While the focus of the criminal proceedings had initially centered on Vickrum Digwa, who was convicted of fatally stabbing the teenager, attention has now shifted to his mother after a court found that she deliberately removed the murder weapon from the scene in an attempt to help her son.
Her actions, which took place in the immediate aftermath of the fatal attack, became a key part of the investigation and ultimately resulted in a prison sentence of her own. The case has drawn widespread attention not only because of the brutal killing but also because of the false allegations made against the victim and the subsequent public unrest that followed.
Kiran Kaur Sentenced for Assisting Her Son After the Murder
Kiran Kaur, 53, appeared before Southampton Crown Court, where she was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of assisting an offender. The conviction stemmed from her decision to remove the knife used in the fatal attack on Henry Nowak from the crime scene and take it back to her family home instead of leaving it where investigators could recover it. Prosecutors argued that this deliberate action significantly hindered the early stages of the police investigation and helped support her son’s false version of events. The same jury that convicted Vickrum Digwa of murder and carrying a knife in public also found Kaur guilty following a trial held in May.
The court heard that on December 3, 2025, Henry Nowak was stabbed five times while walking home in Southampton after spending the evening with members of his football team. Rather than encouraging her son to cooperate with authorities, Kaur chose to remove the murder weapon at a crucial moment when police officers were arriving at the scene. According to evidence presented during the trial, she transported the knife to her home and placed it among a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons kept in Digwa’s bedroom. Investigators later identified the knife as the murder weapon after reviewing CCTV footage and recovering it approximately one week after the killing.
During sentencing, Judge William Mousley KC criticized Kaur’s conduct in strong terms. He stated that a responsible parent would have challenged their child’s actions and encouraged them to face the consequences instead of attempting to conceal vital evidence. The judge emphasized that by removing the weapon and taking it home, Kaur had helped her son maintain the false impression that he had done nothing wrong and was instead the victim of the incident. According to the court, her actions contributed directly to efforts to obstruct justice during the critical hours following the fatal stabbing.
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Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC described Kaur’s role as essential in removing the murder weapon before investigators had an opportunity to secure the scene properly. He argued that the absence of the knife complicated the police response at a time when officers were already confronted with false information about what had occurred. The prosecution maintained that Kaur never voluntarily disclosed what she had done with the weapon, forcing detectives to rely on surveillance footage and further investigative work before locating the evidence. Prosecutors told the court that her actions delayed the investigation and contributed to confusion surrounding the circumstances of Henry Nowak’s death.
The Murder of Henry Nowak and the False Allegations That Followed
The tragic events unfolded after Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old finance student from Essex attending the University of Southampton, was making his way home following a night out with his football team. During the encounter, Vickrum Digwa stabbed the teenager five times, causing fatal injuries. When police officers arrived at the scene, however, the immediate picture presented to them was very different from what had actually happened.
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Digwa falsely claimed that Henry Nowak had racially abused him and knocked his turban from his head during the confrontation. Believing the account initially provided to them, responding officers arrested and handcuffed the seriously injured student before realizing the extent of his injuries. Only after further assessment did police recognize that Nowak had suffered multiple stab wounds. The false accusations significantly affected the officers’ initial response and later became one of the most controversial aspects of the case.
The murder trial ultimately rejected Digwa’s version of events, and he was convicted of murder as well as carrying a knife in public. The 23-year-old received a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years in prison. Evidence presented during the proceedings established that Digwa had been carrying two blades on the night of the attack. One was a small kirpan, a ceremonial dagger worn by initiated Sikhs beneath his clothing around his neck. In addition, he possessed a larger knife, which he claimed he carried for religious reasons. Prosecutors successfully argued that it was this larger knife that was used to kill Henry Nowak.
The case attracted significant public attention because of the false allegations made against the victim. The revelation that Henry Nowak had been handcuffed despite suffering fatal stab wounds led to widespread criticism of the initial police response. Questions were raised about how the false claims influenced officers during the early moments of the investigation and whether greater caution should have been exercised before accepting Digwa’s account.
The circumstances surrounding the murder sparked public outrage that extended beyond the courtroom. News that Henry had initially been treated as a suspect rather than a victim fueled protests and unrest in Southampton. Authorities later confirmed that at least 25 individuals were charged with violent disorder following disturbances linked to public anger over the handling of the incident. The case also received international attention after comments criticizing the police response were shared by X owner Elon Musk, bringing further scrutiny to the investigation and the actions of responding officers.
Court’s Response, Police Investigation, and Lasting Impact of the Case
The sentencing hearing also highlighted the wider consequences of Kiran Kaur’s decision to interfere with evidence. Judge Mousley noted that removing the weapon from the crime scene reinforced Digwa’s false narrative that he had acted as the victim rather than the attacker. By concealing the knife instead of assisting investigators, the judge concluded that Kaur had actively helped sustain her son’s deception during the earliest stages of the investigation. The court considered this a serious attempt to obstruct justice, particularly because the weapon was one of the most important pieces of physical evidence in the case.
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The prosecution argued that Kaur’s conduct affected more than simply the recovery of evidence. Prosecutors stated that police officers responding to the scene were already dealing with misleading information supplied by Digwa, and the disappearance of the murder weapon made their task even more difficult. According to the Crown, Henry Nowak was left “terrified, alone and disbelieved” while the investigation initially unfolded around a false version of events. These arguments formed an important part of the prosecution’s case when explaining why Kaur’s actions deserved a custodial sentence rather than a suspended one.
During mitigation, defense lawyer Mark Watson described Kiran Kaur as a mother of five who had previously demonstrated good character and had been regarded as an active and respected member of both her family and local community. He highlighted her volunteer work and positive contributions before the incident, asking the court to impose a suspended sentence instead of immediate imprisonment. Throughout the proceedings, Kaur, who was assisted by a Punjabi interpreter, became emotional and was seen wiping away tears while listening to the submissions made on her behalf.
Despite these arguments, the court determined that the seriousness of deliberately removing the murder weapon required an immediate prison sentence. The judge concluded that Kaur’s actions were not the result of confusion or panic alone but represented a conscious decision that interfered with a murder investigation. The sentence reflected the court’s view that individuals who deliberately help offenders conceal evidence must face criminal consequences regardless of their personal background or previous good character.
Following the sentencing, Kelly Newman of the Crown Prosecution Service stated that Digwa had lied about Henry Nowak immediately after committing what she described as a senseless act of violence, while Kiran Kaur chose to assist him by removing the knife in an intentional effort to obstruct the investigation and conceal crucial evidence. She emphasized that anyone who attempts to help murderers evade justice should expect to be held accountable for their own actions under the law.
The broader investigation into the police response also continues to attract attention. Hampshire Police previously issued an apology regarding the initial handling of the incident after it emerged that Henry Nowak had been arrested and handcuffed before officers identified him as the victim of the stabbing. The force acknowledged the seriousness of what had occurred, and the arrest has since become the subject of an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The review aims to examine the officers’ actions during the early stages of the response and determine whether procedures were followed appropriately. The case remains one of the most widely discussed criminal proceedings in recent months because it combined a fatal act of violence, false accusations against the victim, questions surrounding the initial police response, and later attempts to conceal key evidence.
With Vickrum Digwa serving a life sentence for Henry Nowak’s murder and Kiran Kaur now imprisoned for assisting her son by removing the murder weapon, the courts have concluded another major phase of the legal process. However, the continuing investigation into police conduct and the lasting public reaction demonstrate that the impact of Henry Nowak’s death extends well beyond the courtroom, leaving important questions about accountability, justice, and public confidence in criminal investigations.