Student stabbed with 21cm knife, murder trial told

A first-year university student was stabbed to death by an attacker captured saying "I am a bad man" moments before inflicting the fatal wound, a court has heard.

Henry Nowak, 18, from Chafford Hundred, Essex, was killed as he walked back from a night out in Southampton on 3 December.

A trial at Southampton Crown Court heard that alleged attacker Vickrum Digwa, 23, was filmed by Nowak carrying a shastar – the Punjabi word for weapon or knife – which had a 21cm (8in) blade.

Digwa denies murder and and carrying a knife in public. His mother Kiran Kaur, 53, is also on trial and denies assisting an offender by removing a weapon from the murder scene.

Nicholas Lobbenberg KC, prosecuting, said accountancy and finance student Nowak had been sending Snapchat videos to friends as he walked home along Belmont Road after drinking less than the drink-drive limit.

"His phone captures the moment he met Vickrum Digwa," the barrister said.

He added that the defendant was carrying "an extremely large knife in a sheath openly displayed over his clothing".

Jurors heard the attack was not witnessed, but neighbours heard Nowak say he had been stabbed and was dying, before trying to escape by climbing over a fence.

A blood trail indicated he had already been fatally wounded, the court heard.

The prosecution alleged Digwa then "chose to aggressively pursue him".

Footage played in court captured an exchange in which Nowak said: "Innit bad man, what bad man. You're a bad man, say you're a bad man, go on", to which Digwa replied: "I am a bad man".

The video ended moments later.

Lobbenberg said: "He didn't seek help for the man he had injured with his sizeable knife, instead he accused him of being a racist and being drunk."

He added that police initially handcuffed Nowak and started giving him first aid when he then collapsed.

He said: "Shortly afterwards Henry became unconscious, then police began to set to work to give him first aid and summon an ambulance, a doctor flew in by helicopter but there was nothing that could be done to save Henry and he was declared dead."

The court heard Nowak's phone was later found in Digwa's pocket.

Digwa's mother was later allegedly filmed removing the knife and taking it to the family home in nearby St Deny's Road, where it was recovered.

A post-mortem examination found Nowak suffered four stab wounds.

Digwa claims he was racially abused and acted in self-defence, the court heard.

His barrister said jurors must consider whether he acted "in the heat of the moment".

The trial continues.