MURDER CONFESSION RECORDED IN POLICE VAN DURING DIGWA TRIAL

Vickrum Digwa admitted to stabbing Henry Nowak multiple times whilst being driven in a police van between a police station and court, according to a transcript of a conversation with his brother. The exchange took place within 36 hours of the teenager's murder in Southampton on 5 December 2025. Digwa, speaking in Punjabi to his brother Gurpreet, described stabbing Nowak once near the shoulder towards the face and once on the chest. The transcript was obtained by the BBC from the Crown Prosecution Service and referred to during Digwa's murder trial.

Earlier, Digwa had told his family and police at the scene that he had been racially attacked and had only pushed and punched Nowak in self-defence. During the police van conversation, Gurpreet Digwa told his brother he should have only pushed or beaten Nowak rather than using a blade. When asked why he had used a kirpan, Vickrum Digwa replied that he was a fool. The weapon used was an 8-inch dagger carried in a cross-body sheath, distinct from the small ceremonial blade Digwa was wearing around his neck.

Sikh leaders have strongly condemned Digwa's actions and stated that his characterisation of the murder weapon as a kirpan has contributed to a backlash against the Sikh community. Many Sikhs dispute the description, noting that a kirpan is a small ceremonial blade worn as an article of faith, not a large dagger used in violence. Digwa belongs to the Nihang warrior order, a tradition associated with carrying larger blades. All four family members were arrested following the killing.