The murder of Henry Nowak sparked national outrage after chilling bodycam footage revealed his final moments.
Police officers – who had condemned him as a racist – simply ignored the 18-year-old university student as he repeatedly told them he had been stabbed and couldn’t breathe.
Instead of helping him, officers made him sit up and shackled his hands behind his back.
As he bled to death, they seemed more concerned about his attacker Vickrum Digwa who told them his hair had been pulled and he had ‘a little bruise’ over his eye.
As Henry slipped out of consciousness, the final words he heard was a police officer telling him he was under arrest for assault.
After Digwa, 23, was jailed for life this week, Henry’s heartbroken father Mark described the contrast between how the two young men were treated as ‘unbearable’.
He said the thought of his son lying in the road scared and bleeding would ‘haunt me forever’ adding: ‘It is my job to protect my children and I failed to keep him safe. I was not there when he needed me most.’
And, while the role of the police in the tragedy has been widely condemned, his words highlight another shocking contrast in the case which is, perhaps, equally as disturbing.
Kiran Kaur, 52, hid her son’s bloodied murder weapon in her home with the family insisting she did what any mother would do to protect her son
Digwa claimed he was attacked by Henry Nowak in a racially motivated incident and told police the teenager had not been stabbed
Digwa was sentenced to life and will serve at least 20 years before being eligible for parole
Henry Nowak, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, was described as a keen footballer and was killed months after starting university
While Mark’s parents felt helpless, it emerged that Digwa’s family appeared to do everything they could to try to help their son evade justice.
In the aftermath of the killing, his mother Kiran Kaur, 52, hid her son’s bloodied murder weapon in her home with the family insisting she did what any mother would do to protect her son.
It shockingly emerged that Digwa asked his mother – who is being held on remand for assisting an offender – to take the weapon away from the murder scene.
His family have spoken exclusively to the Daily Mail revealing their own personal dilemma but insist that Kaur had ‘done the right thing’.
Speaking from her home in Southampton, Digwa’s grandmother Bimla Kaur, 75, said: ‘I’ve been to see her in prison and she’s doing the best she can.
‘She only did what any mother would have done, which is to protect her child. And now she’s going to be punished for this.’
Kiran was described as a ‘devout Sikh’ and housewife who never worked but instead focused on raising her children in a traditional Sikh household.
Bimla insisted that Digwa’s mother had done ‘a good job’ raising her sons but said that Vickrum had been ‘a difficult boy’ – appearing to blame the environment he grew up in for his troubled behaviour.
She said: ‘Vickrum has always been a difficult boy but that’s not unusual for children who are born in Britain.’
While Henry’s family have been keen to avoid their son’s death becoming a political issue, the case has sparked a fresh debate over knife laws in the UK.
Weapons-obsessed Digwa repeatedly stabbed Henry with an eight inch blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith.
While possessing a blade is illegal in the UK, carrying a knife as part of national costume or for religious reasons are potential lawful defences under Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 further protects the right of Sikhs to possess and supply kirpans – a ceremonial sword or dagger that is one of the religion’s five articles of faith.
On the night of the tragedy, Digwa was carrying the large dagger in a sheath around his neck, in addition to a smaller traditional kirpan worn under his clothing.
Calling for urgent reforms, Henry’s father insisted ‘common sense’ should be applied to the law, and said nobody should be allowed to walk openly through the streets of Britain carrying a knife the size of the weapon used to kill his son.
It further emerged that Digwa’s family come from a particularly martial Sikh sect that prides itself on being skilled in the use of swords, knives and other weapons while proclaiming themselves to be the ‘commandos’ of the faith.
He regularly participated in combat sessions with an array of arms as a devoted member of the Nihangs – an ancient order of Sikhism that was formed around 500 years ago to protect the religion and its places of worship at a time when they were under attack from Muslim rulers in India.
Police handcuffed Henry as he lay dying on the floor and ignored his repeated pleas that he could not breathe
The kirpan, a religious knife carried by Sikhs, used by Digwa is pictured after he murdered his 18-year-old victim
Digwa’s father Moga Singh (right) and his brother Gurpreet Digwa have also been charged with weapons offences
The Nihangs became known for their bravery and ruthlessness on the battlefield and expertise with weapons such as swords, knives, spears and iron chains, earning a fearsome reputation for being the ‘army of Sikhism’.
Growing up in an orthodox Sikh household, Digwa lived by the order’s strict code which combines religious and military discipline.
He regularly practised Gatka – the Nihang martial art which involves fighting with swords and sticks and also taught it to Sikh youngsters who attended the same gurdwara as him close to his home in Southampton.
Digwa amassed a large number of ceremonial swords and daggers which are permissible under British law, which he saw as his indelible right to own as a Nihang.
But it also emerged that a number of blades he owned were illegal weapons.
Describing the family’s heritage, Bimla said: ‘Most of the men in this family are Nihangs and so is Vickrum. As a Nihang, Vickrum was devoted to that way of life. It meant everything to him.
‘It’s an important part of our faith and it’s something that I’m proud of, that there are Nihangs in this family.
‘They were formed to protect Sikhism, that’s why weapons are so important to them.’
Digwa’s father Moga, who runs a car valeting business, had an arranged marriage with Kiran in India in 1995 and came to Britain soon after.
The couple have another son Gurpreet, 27.
Bimla added of Digwa’s mother: ‘Kiran has done a good job raising those two boys and was very supportive of them becoming Nihangs.
‘It wasn’t an issue for her because that’s what she wanted and like me, was very proud of that. It’s a huge honour for our family.’
Digwa’s father and brother have now, however, been charged with multiple weapons offences.
They are alleged to have illegally possessed weapons including a flick knife, an extendable baton, knuckle dusters, a machete, swords and kusaris.
Condemning Digwa’s actions, Bimla told how both men have now gone into hiding as they fear for their safety.
She said: ‘This whole case has destroyed two families: Henry’s and mine.
‘We are in a hard situation because we still have to support him [Digwa] but at the same time our hearts are broken and I’m very sorry for what’s happened.
‘These weapons are not meant to be used on the innocent, so something has gone wrong. He’s done a very bad thing – there’s no argument over that.’
Footage shows Digwa flaunting deadly weapons in the years before his murderous attack on Henry
Describing the impact of the case on her family she said: ‘It’s not safe for them to be in their home because it was targeted the other night and it’s only a matter of time before it is attacked again.
‘Both Moga and Gurpreet are with relatives in a safe place and to be honest, I’m not sure if they’ll ever return to that house again.’
She added: ‘We’re all living in fear because we’ve also had some threats and are worried that we might also get attacked.
‘But we’ve been in this city a long time, our whole extended family is here, and we don’t have anywhere else to go.’
In his sentencing remarks last week, Judge William Mousley was explicit about how the law applies.
He said those carrying a nine-inch blade in a public place for religious reasons would typically not be prosecuted for possessing a dangerous weapon due to existing exemptions.
The judge was clear, however, that the privilege of carrying such a weapon ‘brings with it huge responsibility’ – and that a kirpan should only ever be used offensively as a last resort, such as in an act of legal self-defence.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the actions of the officers who attended the scene on the night of the tragedy.
Meanwhile Henry’s father has insisted he will continue to campaign for change in his son’s name.
Thousands of demonstrators took part in protests in Southampton after body cam footage showed police handcuffing a dying Henry
Two people were arrested and 11 officers and a police dog were injured after the protests outside Portswood Police Station on Tuesday
Mark Nowak added: ‘We want to use Henry’s heartbreaking story to make change for the better.
‘No other family should experience the heartbreak and horror of losing a child to knife crime.
‘That is why we are calling on the government to treat knife crime as the national emergency that it is.
‘We need real solutions. We need investment in prevention. We need stronger action on the sale, the ownership and carrying of all knives.’
