Summary

  • Vickrum Digwa, 23, is being sentenced for the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak in Southampton in December

  • The court has heard from Nowak's father about the "horrific pain" of his son's death, while his mother spoke of a future "cruelly taken away"

  • Nowak, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, was stabbed multiple times while walking back to his student accommodation alone after a night out

  • Addressing the sentencing judge, the prosecution said Digwa had a "weapons obsession" and chose to make videos of Nowak fleeing

  • Digwa tried to claim he had acted in self-defence - but the jury found him guilty of murder on Thursday

  1. 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
  2. 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 Bill 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. '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."

  6. '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."

  7. 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.

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

    Judge Bill 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.

  9. 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."

  10. 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."

  11. 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.

  12. 'There is nothing I can do to bring him back'published at 14:22 BST

    Henry Nowak's father Mark Nowak is the first to address the court.

    In a victim personal statement, he speaks of being "tormented" by thoughts of his son's final moments and the "horrific pain" he felt over the death.

    "I couldn't help Henry in his final moments and there is nothing I can do to bring him back," he says.

    "He had been dead for more than 24 hours before I knew.

    "That night I lay on his bed hugging his pillows, wanting and needing to be close to him."

    Mark Nowak, who wears glasses and a dark suit, speaks of "sitting in a mortuary holding his hand, the same hand I held when he was born".

    He says Henry was an "incredible brother" to his three siblings.

  13. Hearing under waypublished at 14:17 BST

    Judge Bill Mousley KC enters the court.

    Prosecuting barrister Nicholas Lobbenberg KC is starting to address the court.

    He will start with statements from the victim's family, he says.

  14. Vickrum Digwa arrives in courtpublished at 14:11 BST

    Vickrum Digwa is the last to arrive in court, before Judge Bill Mousley KC.

    The defendant is wearing a dark suit and tie and a purple turban.

    He sits in the dock - an enclosed glass-fronted room within the court - near two uniformed security guards.

  15. Police under investigation for handcuffing victimpublished at 14:10 BST

    The police watchdog is investigating after Henry Nowak was arrested and handcuffed as he lay dying.

    The trial heard that Digwa told police he was the victim in the altercation and did not mention the stabbing to the first officers on the scene.

    Henry's fatal injury was discovered by police a short time after he was handcuffed, the jury was told.

    In a statement issued to the BBC, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it had started an investigation into the actions of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.

  16. Courtroom full for sentencing hearingpublished at 14:03 BST

    Southampton Crown Court is packed for the sentencing hearing, which was due to begin at 14:00 BST.

    Members of the Nowak and Digwa families as well as their friends are here. More than 60 people have packed into courtroom six and seats are running out.

    Journalists from national and local media are here, as well as barristers, solicitors and other legal staff.

  17. Vickrum Digwa to be sentenced for murderpublished at 13:31 BST

    Vickrum Digwa custody photoImage source, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

    A man who stabbed a university student to death is to be sentenced for murder at Southampton Crown Court.

    Vickrum Digwa used a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith to kill 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was walking home from a night out in Southampton on 3 December.

    Digwa, 23, told Southampton Crown Court a "wicked lie" that he had acted in self-defence after being racially abused, prosecutors said.

    His mother Kiran Kaur, 53, is to be sentenced for assisting an offender by hiding the blade.

    The hearing is due to begin at 14:00 BST.