Mother of murderer sentenced to 3 years for hiding murder weapon

Floral tributes for Henry Nowak outside Portswood Police Station in Southampton, southern England, on June 3, 2026. Source: AFP/BEN STANSALL

British student Henry Nowak was stabbed to death in December 2025; his murderer is already serving a life sentence. Now, the mother of the attacker, Vickrum Digwa, has also been sentenced to prison for subsequently hiding the murder weapon.

Sentencing of Kiran Kaur

The mother of Henry Nowak's convicted murderer has been sentenced to three years in prison in the UK. Kiran Kaur, 53, removed the murder weapon from the crime scene after her son Vickrum Digwa's fatal knife attack on the 18-year-old student and brought it to her home.

The court found her guilty of assisting an offender on July 17, 2026, as reported by several British media outlets, including The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.

Background of the Crime

• Date of crime: December 3, 2025
• Location: Southampton, south coast of England
• Victim: Henry Nowak, 18-year-old student
• Perpetrator: Vickrum Digwa, 23

The student was on his way home after meeting friends when a nighttime verbal altercation broke out with Digwa, who then stabbed him multiple times.

Digwa — a member of the Sikh faith community — was arrested by police at the crime scene and later charged with murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years in June 2026.

Obstruction of Investigation

The focus of the sentencing statement by Southampton Crown Court was the obstruction of the investigation. According to the court's findings:

• Kaur hid the knife among other weapons in her son's room
• Investigators were initially unable to identify the murder weapon
• The weapon was only secured approximately one week after the murder

The prosecution argued that the absence of the weapon further hindered the police in an already confusing situation and contributed to the delay in solving the crime.

Defense and Possible Early Release

The woman's defense had hoped for a suspended sentence but did not prevail. According to The Telegraph, it is unlikely that Kaur will actually serve the full three years. With good behavior, early release is possible, or earlier release with electronic monitoring (ankle bracelet).

Kiran Kaur is the mother of five children and has no prior convictions. In court, she required the assistance of a Punjabi interpreter.

The Murder Weapon

The murder weapon was a dagger approximately 20 centimeters long. The knife was part of a collection of ceremonial Sikh weapons kept in Digwa's room. Baptized Sikhs traditionally carry a Kirpan (a small ceremonial dagger).

Victim's Final Moments

According to reports, the seriously injured Henry Nowak repeatedly said, "I can't breathe," during his final moments.