Vikram Digwar has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years at Southampton Crown Court for the murder of 18-year-old Henry Novak. The student was stabbed as he walked home from a night out in Southampton last December, in a case that has provoked widespread public outrage across the United Kingdom.
The prosecution told the court that Digwar used an eight-inch blade he claimed was part of his Sikh faith to carry out the fatal attack. Following the stabbing, Digwar falsely told police that Henry had racially abused him, a claim the prosecution described as a complete fabrication designed to cast himself as the victim rather than the attacker.
Perhaps the most harrowing detail of the case was the treatment Henry received in his final moments. When police arrived at the scene, Henry was lying on the ground barely able to sit up and plainly in severe medical distress. Instead of being treated as a dying victim, officers formally arrested Henry for assault and read him his rights. Those were the last words he heard before losing consciousness. Henry died alone, humiliated and handcuffed on the pavement.
Henry's father, Mark Novak, gave an incredibly powerful statement on the steps of Southampton Crown Court following the sentencing. He said the family is now facing a life sentence of grief and called on the Independent Office for Police Conduct to carry out a thorough investigation into the actions of the officers who arrived at the scene and arrested his dying son instead of providing medical assistance.
The case has drawn fierce criticism of the government's response, or lack thereof. There has been no statement from Prime Minister Keir Starmer or Downing Street about the case, despite widespread public calls for one. The only government response came from Sarah Jones, the Crime Minister. Critics have pointed out that the Prime Minister who took the knee for George Floyd and tweeted about incidents abroad has been utterly silent on this case.
In a rare intervention, Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle has compelled the government to make a statement on the case in Parliament tomorrow, citing the significant public interest. Political editor Chris Hope described this as highly unusual, noting that it is rare for the Speaker to tell the executive branch when to deliver a statement rather than waiting for an opposition urgent question.
The sentencing judge applied mitigating circumstances to reduce the tariff from 23 years to 21 years, a decision that has added to the public anger surrounding the case. Digwar's brother was found to have lied during proceedings, and his mother attempted to hide the murder weapon. The van carrying Digwar to prison was filmed leaving Southampton Crown Court shortly after the sentence was handed down.