Mother of British killer jailed for hiding murder weapon

MANCHESTER, England (CN) — The mother of convicted murderer Vickrum Digwa was sentenced Friday to three years in prison for hiding the knife her son used to fatally stab 18-year-old Henry Nowak, in a case that has become one of Britain’s most politically charged killings in recent years.

Kiran Kaur, 53, was jailed at Southampton Crown Court after a jury found her guilty in May of assisting an offender by removing the murder weapon from the scene and concealing it at the family’s home.

Judge William Mousley said a “responsible parent would have challenged their son” and urged him to “do the right thing” instead of taking the knife away.

The judge said Kaur placed the dagger in her son’s bedroom among “a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons,” helping to conceal what it had been used for.

The knife, an 8-inch blade Digwa carried in a cross-body sheath over his clothing, was not recovered until seven days after the Dec. 3, 2025, killing.

Digwa claimed he carried it as part of the traditions of the Nihang warrior sect within Sikhism, of which he is a member.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg described Kaur’s actions as “criminality of the highest order,” telling the court her role was “crucial in removing the murder weapon from the scene.”

Defense lawyer Mark Watson insisted it was “a spontaneous act carried out in a matter of moments” driven by Kaur’s “instinctive desire to protect her child.” He said she had not tried to destroy the weapon and understood the pain caused by the killing.

Mousley acknowledged Kaur had not made an elaborate effort to bury or destroy the knife, which police ultimately recovered from the family home.

Before imposing the sentence, the judge paid tribute to Henry Nowak, describing him as a “much loved, kind and devoted young man” whose death had left his family with lifelong grief.

The sentencing is the latest development in a case that has drawn national attention.

The killing sparked violent protests after police body camera footage showed officers handcuffing the dying teenager while initially accepting Digwa’s account that he had been racially abused.

Protesters threw wheelie bins, chairs and other objects at officers as police struggled to contain crowds. It left 11 police officers and a police dog injured.

At least 28 people have been formally charged so far.

The incident also prompted criticism from senior U.S. officials, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and renewed scrutiny of British policing.

Britain’s police watchdog is investigating two police officers for potential gross misconduct over their handling of the scene. The watchdog examines complaints and serious incidents involving police forces in England and Wales.

Digwa, 23, was sentenced in June to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years after being convicted of murdering Nowak, a student who was walking home from a night out when he was stabbed five times.

He is appealing both his conviction and sentence.

Separately, Solicitor General Ellie Reeves has referred Digwa’s prison term to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, a process allowing certain criminal sentences to be reviewed if they are considered too low.

Earlier this month Digwa, his father, Moga Singh, and his brother, Gurpreet Digwa, pleaded not guilty to multiple weapons offenses.

Their trial is scheduled for September 2027.

Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.

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