Mother jailed for hiding knife after son killed teen in England

Kiran Kaur has been jailed for removing the knife her son used to kill Henry Nowak. The case has intensified scrutiny of the rejected kirpan defence and the wider police response.

In Short

• Kiran Kaur received three years for assisting her convicted murderer son
• Vickrum Digwa is serving life with a 21-year minimum term
• Court rejected claims the fatal weapon qualified as protected kirpan use

The mother of a British Sikh man who is serving a life sentence for fatally stabbing a teenager in south-east England has been jailed for removing the weapon used in the killing from the scene. Kiran Kaur, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison at Southampton Crown Court after being convicted of assisting an offender.

Kaur was found guilty of taking possession of the weapon used by her son, Vickrum Digwa, to kill 18-year-old Henry Nowak and helping remove it from the scene to hinder the investigation. The case has also drawn attention because Digwa tried to argue self-defence by claiming the weapon was a kirpan, a ceremonial knife that Sikhs are legally allowed to carry in the UK.

Digwa stabbed Nowak to death on December 3, 2025. Last month, the 23-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years before he can be considered for parole.

Kelly Newman, senior prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Henry Nowak was just 18 years old when he was murdered by Vickrum Digwa and our thoughts remain with Henry's family and loved ones, who have endured unimaginable loss." She added: "Digwa lied to police about Henry after carrying out the senseless act of violence and in the immediate aftermath, Kiran Kaur chose to help her son by removing the murder weapon in a deliberate attempt to obstruct the investigation and hide crucial evidence." Newman said, "Those who seek to help murderers evade justice should be in no doubt that they too will be held accountable for their actions."

While sentencing Kaur, Justice William Mousley said: "It is a fundamental principle of Sikhism that any kirpan is worn as a symbol of religious faith and is never to be carried for an offensive purpose." He added: "It is obvious that for use to be reasonable, any perceived threat justifying its use would only be in circumstances of great seriousness and urgency. You would have been fully aware of that."

The judge told Kaur: "A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encouraged 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 sons' bedroom." He also referred to her as having had a "hard life" in India, which improved after her marriage and move to the UK nearly 30 years ago. "Your actions were, mistakenly, to protect your son rather than for any personal gain and you are very unlikely to re-offend," he said.

Kaur's sentencing guidelines mean she is likely to be eligible for Home Detention Curfew by next year and could serve that period under licence. If she commits another offence or breaches her parole conditions, she could be recalled to prison to serve more or all of her sentence.

The case has also led to political and community reaction. Robert Jenrick, a Reform UK MP, said in a social media post: "Kaur conspired with her son as he sought to smear Henry as racist (as) he lay dying on the street. Frankly - as an Indian national - she should be deported to serve a very lengthy sentence in her country of origin." He added: "But to let her off with house arrest, when it was denied to others, would be an outrage."

Legal proceedings against Digwa's older brother, Gurpreet, and father, Moga Singh, for aiding and abetting the crime are continuing. Digwa's 21-year minimum term life sentence is also under review by the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The verdicts followed a highly charged trial at Southampton Crown Court. As details of the killing emerged, British Sikh groups and parliamentarians said the kirpan had been misrepresented and stressed that "no religious protection or justification applied" in the case. The matter caused tensions in Southampton, while Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers remain under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct over allegations of "two-tier" policing. The inquiry is focused on body-worn camera footage showing the victim being handcuffed in his final moments after Digwa alleged he had made racist remarks, an allegation later rejected in court.

The case centres on the killing of Henry Nowak, Kaur's removal of the weapon after the attack, and the wider fallout from Digwa's defence, which was rejected in court and prompted scrutiny of both the handling of the case and the use of a kirpan in the trial.

With PTI Inputs

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