“I’m not a racist” – Newly released transcripts reveal Henry Nowak’s tragic final words before fatal stabbing by Vickrum Digwa
The judicial registries and formal trial archives of Southampton Crown Court have released hundreds of pages of previously unpublished evidence, witness statements, and audio transcripts from the murder trial of 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa. The newly unsealed material has completely dismantled the defense’s initial narrative regarding the fatal December 3, 2025, attack on Belmont Road, revealing that 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak spent his final conscious moments pleading, “I’m not a racist.” The evidence surfaces amidst an active institutional crisis involving the Hampshire Constabulary, whose responding officers handcuffed the dying first-year finance student based entirely on a fabricated hate-crime narrative invented by his killer.
The harrowing core of the newly published transcripts documents the explicit verbal exchange that occurred immediately before and after the physical assault. Eyewitness Andrew Mortimore testified to jurors that he was awoken by a highly aggressive argument outside his residence shortly before 11:30 PM. Mortimore verified that the only clear, uncompromised phrase he distinguished from the street below was a male voice stating, “I’m not a racist.” Furthermore, prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC confirmed that during a subsequent 999 emergency call placed by the killer’s brother, Gurpreet Digwa, Nowak could be heard in the background firmly responding, “No, I didn’t,” to allegations that he had launched a racially motivated verbal assault.
At the absolute center of the prosecution’s evidentiary push was the total systemic failure of Digwa’s attempt to weaponize identity politics to justify the homicide. To permanently neutralize the defendant’s claims that racial animus sparked the confrontation, the Crown entered formal testimony from Nowak’s former girlfriend, who is of Jamaican and Irish heritage. Her sworn statement verified that race had never been a factor in Nowak’s life, noting he was explicitly proud of her heritage. The unsealed files also feature transcripts from a secret police recording device planted inside a transport van following the arrests. The audio logs captured Vickrum Digwa explicitly admitting to the stabbing, demonstrating the physical entry points to his brother, and asking, “Why did you use the kirpan?” before adding, “I am a fool. I’m an idiot.” Seconds later, Digwa was recorded asking if CCTV cameras were present, muttering, “If there is one, can’t say anything.”
The logistical reality of the case continues to generate national political friction as the legal landscape enters the appellate phase. Digwa was handed a life sentence in June 2026 with a minimum term of 21 years. Freedom of Information Act (FOI) disclosures released alongside the court documents confirm that Digwa received £79,621 in public criminal legal aid funding, while his mother, Kiran Kaur—who was convicted of assisting an offender by concealing the ceremonial weapon—likewise received publicly funded representation. Both sides have launched active appeals: Digwa is seeking to overturn his conviction, while Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC has formally referred the 21-year minimum term to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, publicizing that the severity of the homicide demands a much harsher punitive framework.
The case remains a focal point for intense public protests regarding systemic failures in emergency medical response and tactical bias. Released bodycam footage confirmed that Hampshire officers completely accepted Digwa’s false narrative at the scene, prioritizing the physical restraint and handcuffing of a mortally wounded Nowak despite his repeated statements that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) maintains an active gross misconduct investigation into two responding officers.
This definitive judicial update delivers a permanent reality check to digital audiences, proving that the forensic and auditory documentation collected by the state completely refutes the killer’s cover story. While the appellate court reviews the length of Digwa’s life term and the family faces separate 2027 trial dates for a massive domestic weapons cache, the unsealed transcripts guarantee that Henry Nowak’s actual final words remain a matter of permanent public record. As the mechanical schedules of the Court of Appeal advance, the demand for total police accountability continues to grow across the United Kingdom.
