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Knife removed, sentencing follows
Kiran Kaur, 53, was jailed for three years for assisting an offender after she removed the knife used by her son, Vickrum Digwa, from the scene where Digwa stabbed 18-year-old student Henry Nowak to death in Southampton in December.
The sentencing at Southampton Crown Court came after Digwa was jailed for life in June with a minimum term of 21 years for stabbing Mr Nowak to death, and the court heard Kaur was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court of assisting an offender in May.
Judge William Mousley KC said: "Instead, you took the knife home and put it with a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in your son's bedroom."
The court heard the knife was recovered after police studied CCTV and the murder weapon was found about a week after Mr Nowak was killed, after police had initially been confronted with Digwa’s claims about what happened.
In a statement following the sentencing, Mr Nowak's family said: "While we accept today's sentencing decision, nonetheless we remain incredibly disappointed."
Police footage and disputes
The case drew scrutiny after a police body-worn video showed Mr Nowak, 18, being placed in handcuffs moments before he became unconscious and subsequently died, and two Hampshire police officers involved in the arrest were said to be under investigation for potential gross misconduct.
Judge William Mousley KC told Kaur: "A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encourage them to do the right thing."
Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC told the court during the trial that Kaur’s role was "crucial" in removing the murder weapon at a time the police were coming to the scene.
The BBC reported that Digwa gave the knife to his mother and it was later found by police at their family home along with more than 20 other weapons, and it said Kaur was unlikely to reoffend while her motive was described as "mistakenly, to protect your son rather than for any personal gain".
The BBC also said Nowak’s family said they "remain incredibly disappointed" and that their focus was on making sure the ongoing investigations left no stone unturned as they urged the government to deliver changes Henry deserved.
Appeals, investigations, and fallout
Digwa, his brother and his father have been charged with multiple weapons offences, and the Independent reported that they appeared in court earlier in July where they pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including possessing 37 swords, flick-knives, an axe and eight knuckledusters.
The Independent said the sentence was referred to the Court of Appeal as “unduly lenient” by the solicitor general, Ellie Reeves, in June, and it also said the Court of Appeal announced Digwa is aiming to appeal against his conviction and sentence.
The BBC added that Digwa is seeking to appeal against his conviction and sentence, and it said a full inquest into Henry Nowak's death is due to be held in Winchester next year.
In the sentencing remarks, Judge William Mousley KC said Kaur’s actions added to the "degradation of Henry being arrested when he was dying," and he said her role required punishment so others might be deterred from doing as she did.
The BBC also reported that protests erupted in Southampton after the police bodycam footage was released, and it said more than 20 people have so far been sentenced over the disorder, during which 12 police officers and a police dog were injured.
