Murdered student 'did not die with dignity' says family

The family of murdered student, Henry Nowak, said they will carry their grief "every single day" for the rest of their lives and have called on the government to treat knife crime as a "national emergency".

It comes after Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in prison, for a minimum of 21 years, for using a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith to stab the 18-year-old in Southampton in December.

Digwa had lied to police about being the victim of a racist attack and officers arrested and handcuffed Nowak as he lay dying on the ground.

The student's family called his treatment by police "inhumane and degrading". Hampshire police has apologised.

Judge William Mousley KC told Southampton Crown Court he was sure that Nowak had not said anything racist to the Sikh man who killed him.

Before sentencing Digwa, he told him his actions had "stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which has made many Sikhs worried about their safety".

Warning: This story contains details some may find upsetting

Henry's older sister, Olivia Nowak, called her brother, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, her "best friend" and said they had "an unbreakable bond" in a statement she read out in court about how his death has changed her life.

She said: "The day we got the knock on the door to say my brother had passed, I don't think there are any words to describe that type of pain. A lot of myself died when he died.

"Henry was the most wonderful, funny, handsome, kind, precious, smart boy. He lit every room he walked in.

"As the eldest of four siblings, watching my younger brothers and sisters grieve the loss of their big brother is a pain layered on top of my own.

"Whenever I'm having a hard day, the only place I want to be is at Henry's grave.

"It is the place where the reality of his loss hits the hardest but the only place I am close to him.

"I feel sad for those who never got to experience life with Henry, even though it was short. If you had known Henry, you would never had hurt him."

A statement written by Henry's mother, Lucy Ross, was read out by prosecutors.

It said: "Being told that your son has died is something no one can ever truly comes to terms with. The circumstances were so tragic and unimaginable that the pain is beyond anything I knew existed."

She said Henry had been the first grandchild of her elderly parents to go to university and it was a moment that had "filled all of us with immense pride".

She described Henry as "ambitious, determined, and full of life" and said "there will always be a hole in our hearts that can never be repaired".