Prosecutor Calls 23-Year-Old Digwa's Racism Claim a 'Wicked Lie' in 18-Year-Old Student Murder Trial
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 26
Prosecutor Calls 23-Year-Old Digwa's Racism Claim a 'Wicked Lie' in 18-Year-Old Student Murder Trial
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 26
Nicholas Lobbenberg KC told Southampton Crown Court that Vickrum Digwa's claim of racist abuse before Henry Nowak, 18, was fatally stabbed was a "wicked lie" and that the case was about murder, not racism.
Digwa, 23, denies murder, manslaughter and carrying a knife in public, saying he acted in self-defence after Nowak punched him, used a racial slur and knocked off his turban; jurors heard there were no witnesses to the start.
Prosecutors said Digwa liked weapons, had trained with them since age 12 and chose to carry a sharp knife in Southampton, while the defence argued the blade was a kirpan worn daily as part of his Sikh faith.
Kiran Kaur, 53, Digwa's mother, also denies assisting an offender over claims she hid the knife; her lawyer said she was distressed and merely placed it among religious objects at home.
Nowak, a first-year University of Southampton student from Essex, was killed on 3 December while walking back from a night out; the trial continues.
After a student's murder with a 'ceremonial' knife, will the UK government ban all such blades from public streets?
Police handcuffed a dying teen after his killer's false claim. Can the public still trust their judgment in a crisis?
When a sacred symbol becomes a murder weapon, where does society draw the line between religious freedom and public safety?