Hampshire's police commissioner is calling for a review of religious knife exemptions following the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak by a man with a Sikh dagger. Donna Jones described the incident as a 'national tragedy' and plans to address the issue with the prime minister.
Key points
Hampshire police commissioner calls for review of knife exemptions
Review follows murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak
Donna Jones describes the incident as a national tragedy
Vickrum Digwa claimed racial abuse during police investigation
Police footage shows Nowak being handcuffed after being stabbed
Donna Jones described the stabbing of university student Nowak as a “national tragedy” and said she was writing to the prime minister, Keir Starmer, about the issue.
Hampshire police released footage from body-worn cameras showing Nowak being handcuffed despite repeatedly telling police officers that he had been stabbed. At one point an officer tells him: “I don’t think you have, mate.”
Vickrum Digwa, who falsely claimed he had been racially abused and attacked by Nowak, is seen lying to police that the teenager knocked his turban off and caused an eye injury.
Henry Nowak at an 18th birthday party.
Henry Nowak, 18, died last December after he was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in Southampton. Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA
Jones said: “Henry was falsely accused of racially aggravated assault as he lay dying on the ground, while his attacker stood by denying the violent act he had inflicted upon him.
“It is devastating the officers did not believe Henry when he said he’d been stabbed and couldn’t breathe. His death is a national tragedy.
“Central to this incident is the fact that Vickrum Digwa was able to carry a knife in public because there is an exemption for those who observe the Sikh faith to carry ceremonial daggers.
“I intend to write to the prime minister to request a national review of the laws concerning the carrying of bladed articles under religious exemptions.”
Vickrum Digwa pictured wearing the knife in its sheath.
Q&A
What prompted the review of religious knife exemptions in Hampshire?
The review was prompted by the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was killed by a man carrying a Sikh dagger.
Who is the Hampshire police commissioner advocating for this review?
The Hampshire police commissioner advocating for the review is Donna Jones.
What did Vickrum Digwa claim during the police investigation of Henry Nowak's murder?
Vickrum Digwa falsely claimed he had been racially abused and attacked by Henry Nowak, stating that Nowak knocked off his turban and caused an eye injury.
How did the police respond to Henry Nowak after he was stabbed?
Police footage shows Henry Nowak being handcuffed and repeatedly telling officers he had been stabbed, but they initially did not believe him.
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Digwa pictured wearing the knife in its sheath. Photograph: CPS/PA
The Cabinet Office minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said the footage was harrowing, telling the BBC: “The conduct of the police at the scene is shocking.”
But he did not suggest the UK government would examine the exemption allowing Sikhs to carry knives.
He said: “There is an exception in terms of carrying bladed articles in public places for particular religious and ceremonial reasons.
“And whilst, of course, we’ve been tightening up the law, we’ve banned things like terrible zombie knives, we’ve tightened up the law in terms of online purchasing of knives, it’s not about looking, I think, more broadly at that particular exception.
“If you look at what the judge said in this case, the judge actually said that the minute that this perpetrator removed the blade from the sheath, you can forget any sense of there being some sort of exception to the law.
“And he also said the fact that this perpetrator was willing to use a bladed article was an abuse of the privilege that Sikhs and indeed other religions have. It was something that made this case worse because of that abuse of that privilege.”
In what he billed as an emergency address to the nation, the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, said people should respond with “pure cold rage” and called on the attorney general to review the minimum term Digwa will serve – 20 years and 190 days – before he can be considered for parole.
The ‘large Sikh dagger’ photographed next to a ruler.
The ‘large Sikh dagger’ that Digwa was carrying in addition to his smaller ceremonial kirpan. Photograph: CPS/PA
He said: “An accusation of a raical slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder.”
Digwa was jailed for life on Monday for stabbing Nowak five times last December.
Hampshire police have apologised for their actions, which received global attention after being criticised by the owner of X, Elon Musk. The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, is investigating.
Speaking outside court, Nowak’s father, Mark Nowak, criticised how police had treated his son, whom he described as friendly and inclusive.
He said: “Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. We hold Vickrum Digwa solely and 100% responsible for the brutal murder of our son. But Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody. The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading.”
Nowak added: “We are calling on the government to treat knife crime as the national emergency that it is.”
The prosecution told the jury at Southampton crown court that while Digwa was wearing a small kirpan (a ceremonial sword or dagger worn by initiated Sikhs) under his clothing around his neck, which met his religious obligation, he also chose to carry the much larger knife.
Vickrum Digwa police mugshot.
Digwa must serve 20 years and 190 days in prison before he can be considered for parole. Photograph: Hampshire Police/PA
Judge Mousley KC described the weapon Digwa was carrying as a “large Sikh dagger”. He said practising Sikhs were allowed to be in public with a bladed article, but said that privilege came with huge responsibility.
The Council of Southampton Gurdwaras, which represents Sikh people in the city, expressed “profound sorrow” over Nowak’s death.
In a statement, it said: “We have been struck by the dignity and moral strength shown by Henry’s family, through all of the online noise from third parties.”
The statement continued: “Digwa’s actions were in direct contradiction to Sikh teachings and values that have guided Sikh communities for more than five centuries, including in Britain for over 150 years. His conduct is wholly unrepresentative of Sikhs in Southampton, the UK, or anywhere else. We condemn it unreservedly.
“Crimes of this nature must not be used to foster division between communities or to weaken the bonds that hold society together. Such division is contrary to the principles of Sikh teaching, which emphasise respect, responsibility and living alongside others in mutual understanding, irrespective of difference, as one large integrated community.”
The body-worn footage was shown during the trial. Hampshire police said it had engaged with Nowak’s family about its release.
