Summary

  1. Police in foyer after shouting in courtpublished at 16:20 BST

    Fourteen police officers are in the foyer of the court.

    It comes after shouting was heard when Digwa was led down from the dock.

    Reporters and members of the public are waiting outside the building now in anticipation of the Nowak family making a statement.

  2. Verbal altercation in courtpublished at 16:10 BST

    A verbal altercation breaks out in court between family and friends of the victim and defendant.

    As members of the Nowak group file out of court from seats behind the Digwa contingent, voices are raised.

    Security guards and family members quickly intervene, crying out: "Stop, stop!"

  3. Man who murdered student jailed for minimum of 21 yearspublished at 16:04 BST
    Breaking

    Vickrum Digwa has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder of Henry Nowak.

  4. Victim was handcuffed, judge sayspublished at 15:59 BST

    Digwa misled police by giving a "convincing but wholly false narrative of the incident" when officers arrived, the judge says.

    Digwa told officers he had not been stabbed and was exaggerating, accusing Nowak of attacking him, the court heard.

    Police handcuffed Nowak about a minute before discovering his fatal wound and giving treatment, the judge says.

    "The knife wound would not have been obvious in the dark," Judge Mousley continues.

    "Henry was complaining that he had been stabbed and was struggling to breathe but that would not necessarily have told the officers how serious the incident had become."

  5. 'Your actions stirred up racial tension'published at 15:56 BST

    "You have brought shame upon your family and your religion," the judge adds.

    "Your actions have stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which have made many Sikhs worried about their safety."

  6. 'I am sure that Henry said nothing racist,' judge sayspublished at 15:55 BST

    Addressing the wounds suffered, the judge continues: "Henry was never able to put up his hands to defend himself from serious injury.

    "He was defenceless. You had by contrast little but any injury.

    "There has been no independent evidence given in the trial of any injury at all to you."

    The judge says Digwa showed a "callous disregard" after stabbing or cutting Henry Nowak five times.

    "You continued to make films of Henry suffering, knowing he had been stabbed."

    The judge addressed claims that Nowak had used a racist word against Digwa.

    "I am sure that Henry said nothing racist," he says.

    "You are the only person to make that claim and it is completely at odds with his previous character."

  7. Claim victim 'barged' Digwa was a lie, judge sayspublished at 15:50 BST

    Judge Mousley says Digwa lied when he claimed in his defence that Nowak "barged" into him on the pavement, precipitating the altercation.

    He says Nowak may have "cheekily" suggested that Digwa was a "bad man".

    However, he says Digwa's carrying of a blade necessitated restraint, as the street altercation developed.

  8. Student stabbed with 'large Sikh dagger', judge sayspublished at 15:48 BST

    The fatal encounter happened when Nowak was walking back home to his student accommodation after a night out, the judge says.

    The teenager was "not drunk but may have been affected a little" by alcohol, Judge Mousley tells the court.

    Addressing Digwa, he says: "You were sober but were carrying a large Sikh dagger in a belt."

    The judge says a Sikh blade called a kirpan is worn by observant Sikhs and is "generally a small knife hidden from view".

    However, Digwa carried a second knife as part of his Sikh order, observing that tradition in everyday life, the judge says.

    It is a "fundamental principle" of Sikhism" that it should "never be carried for an offensive purpose", the judge continues.

  9. Judge begins sentencing remarkspublished at 15:40 BST

    Judge William Mousley KC opens his sentencing remarks by paying tribute to Henry Nowak.

    The teenager was "a much loved, kind, hard working and ambitious young man, devoted to his family and with a bright future", he says.

    Asking Digwa to stand briefly, the judge tells the defendant: "You Vickrum Digwa murdered him.

    "You have brought misery and a lifetime of loss upon his family and great sadness to everyone who knew him."

  10. Recap: The sentencing hearing so farpublished at 15:21 BST

    While we wait for the judge to return, here's a quick recap of the sentencing hearing so far:

    • In victim personal statements read out in court, Henry Nowak's parents, step-parents and one of his sisters have described the pain of his loss
    • The student's father Mark Nowak described lying on his bed, "hugging his pillows, wanting and needing to be close to him"
    • Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC described Digwa as "a man with a weapons obsession" and said 25 years should be the judge's starting point for calculating the life sentence minimum term
    • However, Jeremy Wainwright KC, mitigating for Digwa, said he was "of previous good character" and had not gone out to commit a crime on the night of the attack
  11. Judge set to hand down sentence in 25 minutespublished at 15:06 BST

    The barristers have finished making their submission and the court hearing is adjourned.

    Judge William Mousley KC says he will pass sentence at 15:30 BST.

    Courtroom six empties - only journalists, the court clerk and the court usher remain for now.

  12. Defence say murderer Digwa 'is of good character'published at 15:04 BST

    Jeremy Wainwright KC, mitigating for Digwa, says he is "of good character", indicating that he has no previous convictions.

    "He did not go out that night with intention to commit anything at all," the barrister tells the judge.

    "This incident clearly happened very quickly and very unexpectedly."

    Judge Mousley asks whether Digwa was born and raised in Southampton, which Wainwright confirms.

  13. Prosecutor points to 'aggravating factors'published at 15:00 BST

    The prosecutor says there should be a starting point of 25 years in jail, partly due to "aggravating factors".

    He says Digwa chose to make videos of Nowak fleeing and took close-ups of him lying on the ground.

    Digwa's depiction to police of Nowak as a "racist, drunk, violent aggressor compounds the natural grief and loss of the deceased's family", he concludes.

  14. 'A man with a weapons obsession'published at 15:00 BST

    Prosecuting barrister Nicholas Lobbenberg KC is now addressing the judge on the minimum tariff to be imposed as part of the life sentence for murder.

    "This was a sustained attack on an unarmed man," he says.

    "There are three separate target areas to the front of his body and no defensive wounds. There are two wounds to the rear of his body. The pathology tells its own story.

    "[Digwa] was skilled with weapons, trains with weapons, sleeps in a room with weapons.

    "The Crown say he is a man with a weapons obsession."

  15. 'Future has been cruelly taken away,' says mumpublished at 14:54 BST

    Henry Nowak's mother Lucy Ross speaks of her pride that he was the first of his siblings and cousins to go to university.

    "Henry was ambitious, determined and full of life," according to her statement, which is read by prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC.

    "He had his whole future ahead of him. That future has been cruelly taken away."

  16. Murder victim 'would not tolerate racism'published at 14:49 BST

    A fourth victim personal statement from Henry Nowak's stepfather says the 18-year-old "would not tolerate racism, sexism or bullying".

    David Stephenson's statement, read out in court by a barrister, says: "He treated people with respect and kindness and that is something I admired deeply."

    Previously, Vickrum Digwa told the jury Nowak had used racist words towards him during their altercation and knocked his turban off.

    "He was deeply loved and brought so much positivity into the lives of those around him," Stephenson concludes.

  17. Judge praises family for couragepublished at 14:46 BST

    Judge William Mousley KC praises the three family members for their courage in making personal statements to the court.

    Vickrum Digwa appeared to listen carefully to what was said by the Nowak family.

    He sits in the dock with his eyes raised to the speakers, his head slightly to one side, as they describe their pain.

  18. Nowak's sister says her 'world fell apart'published at 14:42 BST

    Olivia Nowak, Henry's sister, is the third family member to read a statement.

    She tells the court her "world fell apart" when he died.

    "Since the day he was born, we had an unbreakable bond," she says, struggling to compose herself.

    "My brother had my whole heart. I lost of a part of me when he died.

    "Six-hundred-and-fifty people came to Henry's funeral... He had an impact on so many."

  19. Stepmother recalls breaking news to Henry's brotherpublished at 14:37 BST

    Henry Nowak's stepmother Katie recalls telling Henry's 10-year-old brother of his death.

    "Raw, unfiltered sobs echoed through the house," she says.

    She also speaks of her own daughter, who she says is now "terrified" of being a crime victim.

    "It is incredibly hard to see the people you love at breaking point," she continues.

    "I feel that the darkest hours... are still to come... The agonising pain of living life without my darling Henry."

  20. Dad describes 'utter devastation'published at 14:28 BST

    The whole family has been given a life sentence, Henry Nowak's father continues.

    "Complete and utter devastation does not begin to describe how we are feeling," he tells the court.

    He talks about sleeping in his son's room on Christmas Eve as well as the pain felt on what would have been Henry's 19th birthday.

    "To my dying son who I love beyond words, I'm so sorry that I let this happen," he finishes, his voice breaking with emotion.