Man who said he carried knife as part of Sikh faith guilty of murdering Southampton student

A man has been found guilty of murdering a university student with a 21cm-long knife that he said he was carrying for religious reasons. When police arrived at the scene in Southampton, Vickrum Digwa, 23, claimed his victim, 18-year-old Henry Nowak, had racially abused him and knocked his turban off, prompting police to handcuff the teenager before they discovered his fatal wounds. At Southampton crown court, Digwa’s legal team said he had acted in self-defence and only carried the knife because of his Sikh faith. Jeremy Wainwright KC, for Digwa, said: “He carried that knife in the same way that he does every day in his life: as part of his religion.” Nicholas Lobbenberg KC, for the prosecution, dismissed the racism allegation as a “wicked lie”. He told the jury Digwa was wearing a small kirpan (a ceremonial sword or dagger worn by initiated Sikhs) under his clothing around his neck – which the barrister said satisfied his religious obligation – but chose also to carry the much larger blade. After the verdict, Hampshire police apologised for handcuffing Nowak and said the watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), was investigating. Robert France, the force’s deputy chief constable, said: “This case is an absolute tragedy. I’m sorry that Henry’s life couldn’t be saved that night, and I’m sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested. …