Henry Nowak murder: What we know about how the events unfolded

Henry Nowak repeatedly told officers helium had been stabbed, but helium was handcuffed by constabulary aft his slayer Vickrum Digwa falsely claimed helium had been racially abused.

The 18-year-old was conscionable a fewer months into his archetypal twelvemonth astatine assemblage erstwhile helium was killed connected his mode location to his accommodation successful Southampton connected 3 December.

Digwa has been jailed for beingness with a minimum of 21 years for the murder.

This is what we cognize of however the nighttime unfolded, including what we learned from CCTV and bodycam footage, a transcript of the 999 telephone and the judge's sentencing remarks.

At 20:30 GMT on the nighttime of the murder, Nowak was seen connected CCTV entering a assistance astatine his university's halls of residence wearing a achromatic shirt, necktie and quarter-zip fleece portion holding a bottle.

He checked his hairsbreadth successful the reflector earlier helium exited the assistance and walked retired into the corridor.

CCTV footage past captured him entering a convenience store and buying a drink.

He past arrived astatine The Hobbit pub successful Southampton and was checked for ID by the bouncers astatine the entrance.

Footage from wrong the pub shows Nowak going down the stairs and passing a radical of radical successful the brew garden. He past made his mode backmost upstairs to caput retired onto the street.

At 23:07, Nowak tin beryllium seen making his mode backmost towards his assemblage accommodation.

Nowak is past captured connected CCTV walking past a radical of radical connected a roadworthy lit up by streetlamps. At the extremity of the footage, helium tin beryllium seen picking up his gait and jogging down the road.

During Digwa's sentencing connected Monday, Judge William Mousley KC described however Nowak's travel location took him northbound on Belmont Road to the junction with St Denys Road - wherever his slayer lived.

Judge Mousley said Digwa, 23, was walking southbound on Belmont Road astatine the aforesaid time, successful what "was to beryllium a accidental meeting".

Nowak was unsocial and unarmed, the justice said. He added that the 18-year-old was not drunk, and his humor intoxicant level was recovered to beryllium beneath the drink-drive limit.

Digwa, who is Sikh, was carrying a weapon successful a sheath connected his loop which Nowak past began filming connected his phone, the justice said. Judge Mousley commented that it is simply a strict request of the Sikh religion to transportation a knife, called a kirpan, astatine each times.

The justice besides said Digwa was carrying a second, larger dagger successful a sheath - which is besides a portion of his contented arsenic a subordinate of the Nihang bid of Sikhs. Wearing the 2nd weapon is not a strict requirement, helium added.

Mousley KC said that Nowak asked Digwa if helium was a "bad man", apt to person been prompted by him noticing the dagger. The justice said Digwa told Nowak helium was "a atrocious man" and took the student's phone.

The "exact events which instantly followed" were lone witnessed by the 2 men, the justice noted.

But successful his sentencing remarks, helium explained: "it would not beryllium unreasonable to reason that Henry would person wanted his telephone back, believing it had been stolen from him oregon that helium had been robbed."

The justice said that successful the ensuing altercation Digwa drew the dagger from its sheath and deliberately stabbed the defenceless pupil successful the chest.

He added that Digwa stabbed Nowak 4 times including doubly successful the precocious limb and that "one oregon much of the stab wounds indispensable person had an contiguous effect arsenic Henry was ne'er capable to enactment up his hands to support himself from further superior injury".

The justice explained that footage filmed by Digwa showed Nowak "desperately trying to get away" by scaling a obstruction and getting onto a communal bin earlier landing connected a car successful beforehand of the next-door property.

Digwa "continued to marque films of Henry suffering, ignoring overmuch of his desperation astatine having been stabbed", the justice added.

At approximately 23:30 - little than fractional an hr aft Nowak was seen connected CCTV heading location - the killer's brother, Gurpreet Digwa, called 999. He told the relation that Vickrum had been "attacked by idiosyncratic racially" and gave the location.

"He's physically attacked my brother. We're Sikhs, we deterioration turbans and he's conscionable attacked my brother," Gurpreet tin beryllium heard saying. He told the telephone handler, erstwhile asked, that nary weapons had been progressive but that Nowak needed aesculapian attention.

The telephone lasted conscionable nether 12 minutes. The handler tells Gurpreet that constabulary officers volition beryllium astatine the country "very shortly" and that an ambulance would besides beryllium called.

Seven minutes aft the telephone was made, constabulary arrived astatine the scence at 23:37.

Bodycam footage shows 4 radical connected a driveway portion Nowak is connected the floor. The footage shows Digwa lying to constabulary by telling them helium had been racially abused by Nowak.

One infinitesimal and 11 seconds into the footage, Nowak is heard saying helium has been stabbed. He said "I can't breathe" 7 times.

At 23:38, Nowak is handcuffed. An serviceman is heard saying Nowak is nether apprehension and work him his rights.

One infinitesimal later, an ambulance is called and officers administer CPR.

The justice said Nowak's injuries were truthful terrible helium would not person survived, nevertheless rapidly helium received archetypal aid, CPR oregon adept aesculapian treatment.

Less than 4 hours aft helium was seen entering a assistance to permission his pupil accommodation, Nowak dies.

Five days later, on December 8, Vickrum Digwa was charged with execution and possession of a bladed nonfiction successful a nationalist place.

On May 28 2026, Digwa was recovered blameworthy of murder. On June 1, helium was jailed for beingness with a minimum of 21 years.

Additional reporting by Marina Costa