Kiran Kaur, mother of Vickrum Digwa, was sentenced to three years in prison on July 17 for taking and hiding the knife used to fatally stab 18-year-old Henry Nowak in December 2025 in Southampton [1, 2].

Digwa stabbed Nowak five times with a 21-centimeter ceremonial knife on December 3, 2025. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of either 20 or 21 years in June 2026 [3, 1, 2].

Police recovered the knife from Kaur's home in a search conducted seven days after the murder, hidden among over 20 other ceremonial and weapons in her son’s bedroom [2]. At sentencing, Judge William Mousley criticized Kaur for obstructing justice. He said, "A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encourage them to do the right thing. Instead, you took the knife home, and put it with a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in your son’s bedroom. That would have helped to conceal what it had been used for" [1]. Mousley added, "Placing the knife among other weapons had helped conceal its significance and was intended to prevent it from being linked to the murder" [2].

Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg said the absence of the weapon caused Nowak to die "terrified, alone and disbelieved" [1]. Defence lawyer Mark Watson described Kaur’s actions as stemming from a "moment of panic" after receiving a late night call from Digwa. He stressed the knife was not destroyed, cleaned, or hidden beyond retrieval [1].

Controversy surrounds the case due to police handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying after Digwa falsely claimed racial abuse, sparking riots in Southampton. At least 25 people have been charged with violent disorder linked to those incidents [3]. The police conduct, including the handling of the victim and the false abuse allegation, is under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct [3, 2].

Digwa’s sentencing occurred in June 2026, and Kiran Kaur was sentenced the following month. The ongoing inquiry into police actions remains active and will inform possible further legal actions in the case.