Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison for the stabbing death of 18-year-old University of Southampton student Henry Nowak. According to reports from The Times, Digwa had threatened a worshipper at his local gurdwara seven months before the murder, and his parents defended his behavior. The case is now drawing scrutiny for missed opportunities to intervene before the fatal attack.

The temple threat seven months before the murder

As The Times reported, a worshipper at the Gurdwara Guru Tegh Bahadar Sahib in Southampton said Digwa approached him from behind, grabbed his arm, and demanded they talk outside. The 25-year-old man declined, and a community elder had to de-escalate the situation.. The worshipper described Digwa as 'hotheaded' and said he felt targeted over his appearance, claiming Digwa criticized his beard length and turban style.

The worshipper and others at the temple told community leaders about the threats. When the matter was raised with Digwa's parents, they reportedly defended their son, saying 'our kids can do nothing wrong.' Just months later, Digwa stabbed Henry Nowak six times with an 8-inch ceremonial dagger on a Southampton street.

How Digwa's parents' defense 'our kids can do nothing wrong' echoes through the case

Digwa's family are Nihang Sikhs, a martial sect that prides itself on skill with swords, knives, and other weapons — though those skills are supposed to be used only defensively. the statement from Digwa's parents dismissing the temple threat is consistent with a pattern of minimizing their son's behavior. After the murder, Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty of assisting an offender by removing and hiding the murder weapon. his older brother Gurpreet, 27,and father Mogha Singh, 52, have been charged with weapons offenses after an arsenal was discovered at the family home.

According to court proceedings, Nicholas Lobbenberg KC described Digwa as 'skilled with weapons, trained with weapons, sleeps with weapons, searches for weapons on his phone.' The family's refusal to acknowledge warning signs may have contributed to the tragedy.

Henry Nowak's dying moments: arrested on a lie

As the source reports, Digwa called 999 and falsely claimed that Henry Nowak had racially abused and physically attacked him. Police arrived and arrested the severely wounded student, reading him his rights as he lay on the grouund saying he 'could not breathe.' The innocence of the victim and the cruel irony of the arrest have drawn widespread condemnation.

Hampshire Police has since apologized. Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said: 'I am really sorry that Henry was arrested and handcuffed just before he lost consciousness,' acknowledging the confusion caused by Digwa's lies.

A banned temple, a brandished air pistol, and unanswered questions about missed interventions

Digwa had been banned from another gurdwara — the Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar in Southampton — in 2023 after concerns about his behavior. Additionally, footage emerged of Digwa brandishing what appeared to be an air pistol in his back garden three years before the murder, captured by a neighbor who reported 'loud gunshots' to police in October 2022. That report was filed but dismissed due to a lack of other complaints.

The source leaves several questions open: Why did police not act on the gunshots complaint? Did any mental health or threat assessment protocol consider Digwa's escalating behavior? And what role did the family's defensive posture play in enabling his actions? The case echoes other instances where early warning signs were missed, raising systemic concerns about how communities and authorities handle such threats.