University of Southampton Student Murder Trial: Defendant Claims Self-Defence

A University of Southampton student was fatally stabbed during a street altercation because a defendant feared the teenager would assault him with his own ceremonial blade, a jury has been told.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, of St Denys Road, Southampton, is currently standing trial at Southampton Crown Court charged with the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

The incident occurred on Belmont Road in the city at approximately 23:30 GMT on 3 December last year, as the first-year accountancy and finance student was walking back to his accommodation following a night out.

Giving evidence in his defence, Digwa stated that the victim, who was originally from Chafford Hundred, Essex, appeared intoxicated and deliberately barged into him on the pavement.

The defendant testified that an argument ensued after the victim questioned why he had not moved aside, before allegedly using a racially offensive term and issuing verbal threats.

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The jury was shown mobile phone footage recorded by the victim, which captured the initial stages of the confrontation prior to the outbreak of physical violence.

Digwa told the court that he attempted to block the phone, prompting the victim to punch him, dislodge his turban, and pull his hair while threatening to kill him.

The defendant asserted that he believed the teenager was going to seize his kirpan—a 21cm ceremonial Sikh blade worn in a sheath around his neck—and use it against him.

The prosecution has alleged that the weapon utilised was an exceptionally large knife carried openly over the defendant's clothing, contrasting it with smaller ceremonial variants that satisfy religious obligations.

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The court previously heard that the victim sustained five sharp-force injuries, including a fatal puncture wound to the chest and two stab wounds to the back of his legs.

Digwa maintained that he did not intend to inflict fatal injury and had merely pushed the victim away to defend himself during the struggle.

The prosecution submitted that the confrontation was not witnessed by third parties, but neighbours reported hearing the aftermath as the victim sought to escape by climbing a fence.

The jury heard that arriving police officers initially placed handcuffs on the victim following an allegation of assault, before discovering the severity of his chest injury a short time later.

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Digwa acknowledged that he failed to inform officers at the scene that he had stabbed the teenager, stating that he was scared and disoriented by the rapid escalation of events.

The defendant's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, is also on trial alongside her son, denying a charge of assisting an offender by allegedly removing the weapon from the immediate scene of the incident.

The prosecution previously stated that forensic analysis of the recovered blade identified blood and tissue matching the victim, alongside the DNA of both defendants on the sheath.

The trial continues before the jury at Southampton Crown Court...