Nine times, Henry Nowak (18) warns the police patrol that he cannot breathe, but they do not react. Even after the stabbed student loses consciousness, they fail to react to the fact that the young man they have placed in handcuffs is dead or dying.

Vickrum Digwa (23) was informed of his sentence on Monday, after being found guilty on 28 May of the murder of university student Henry Nowak. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

The sentence was life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 21 years. The judgment also covered unlawful possession of a weapon in a public place.

Digwa is a Sikh and killed Nowak with six stab wounds inflicted by a so-called ritual kirpan knife, which Sikhs in Punjab, India, carry as part of their religious attire. The blade was 21 centimetres long.

The victim and the murderer had never seen one another before.

“Don’t think so, mate”

Following the sentencing, police footage from the incomprehensible arrest was made public. It shows that when the dying 18-year-old tells the police that he has been stabbed, the officer’s response is as follows:

“Have you been stabbed – whereabouts roughly? Don’t think you have, mate.”

Warning: Distressing video.

On 31 May, Elon Musk joined the public demand for the release of the video, which could shed light on the police treatment of Nowak:

“Release the footage, you evil bastards!”

On Monday evening it was shown by, among others, GB News. The television channel made it clear that the video would be broadcast only this one time.

Release the footage, you evil bastards! pic.twitter.com/NiijaBi7dL

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2026

The footage shows the dying 18-year-old lying on gravel outside a private residence, where he is placed in handcuffs while police recite his legal rights and completely ignore the fact that he is experiencing severe breathing difficulties as a result of fatal stab wounds to the chest area.

Standing nearby is the murderer, claiming that he has suffered a scratch above his eye and that his turban has been torn off. He was never placed in handcuffs, it was stated in court.

The convicted murderer followed the severely injured Nowak and filmed him twice after the attack. First while he was fleeing, and then with close-up footage of Henry’s face as he lay dying on the ground.

Mann dømt for drapet på en hvit student, som blødde ihjel mens han ble beskyldt for rasisme

Trained in knife fighting

Henry Nowak was killed on 3 December 2025 as he was making his way home at around 11 p.m. after an evening out. He was stabbed six times, including a fatal wound to the chest, with a ceremonial knife known as a “kirpan”, which Sikhs believe they have a religious duty to carry.

British law grants Sikhs a special exemption allowing them to carry such knives in public, while a strict knife ban applies to everyone else. For example, there is no legal exemption for the short knife traditionally worn with the Scottish national costume and kilt.

The murderer’s “ceremonial knife” had a blade measuring 21 centimetres. (Photo: Hampshire Police)

While most Sikhs make do with a knife-shaped ornament worn as a necklace, Digwa even went to work at the accountancy firm where he was employed carrying the larger version of the knife in a strap across his chest.

Vickrum Digwa went to work armed with the same type of knife he used to kill Henry Nowak. (Photo: Private)

Digwa is said to have been “morbidly obsessed with weapons”, and especially antique kirpan knives. He had trained in a traditional knife-fighting martial art from Punjab together with his brother from the age of 12. The prosecutor described the bedroom Digwa shared with his brother as “an arsenal of weapons”.

This brother was also involved on the night of the murder. He arrived at the scene after Nowak had been stabbed and then called the police. During the call, he claimed that his brother had been the victim of a racist attack. As far as we understand, he has not been charged.

The brothers’ mother has, however, been convicted of removing the murder weapon from the crime scene. She will receive her sentence later this month.

“He did not say anything racist”

Judge William Mousley used the sentencing hearing to portray Sikhism in a favourable light by reminding those present that it is a “fundamental principle” of Sikhism that the ceremonial knife must never be carried for any offensive purpose.

Henry Nowak’s killer is seen here on the left during a demonstration of traditional knife fighting from the Punjab region of India in 2023. (Video still/private)

He also commented on the claims that Henry Nowak had made racist remarks. Addressing the murderer, he said that he was certain Henry had not said anything racist:

“You are the only person to have made such an allegation, and it stands in direct contradiction to what was previously known about [Henry’s] character,” said the judge.

The Daily Mail is among the British media outlets that have raised questions about whether the police’s intense focus on so-called anti-racism has seriously impaired officers’ judgement.

After the murderer had been sentenced to imprisonment, Henry’s father, Mark Nowak, read a statement on the steps outside the courthouse.

“The court’s decision alone is not enough. Knife crime is a national crisis. We hold Vickrum Digwa solely and 100 per cent responsible for the brutal murder of our son. But the way the police treated our son was unbearable, inhumane and degrading.”

Elon Musk has previously offered to finance a private legal action against the police.

Henry’s father, Mark Nowak (left), sharply criticised the police as he read a statement from the bereaved family outside Southampton Crown Court yesterday. (Photo: Private)