Mum Sentenced After Helping Murderer Son

A mother who helped conceal the knife used in the murder of an 18-year-old student has been jailed after a judge ruled that she deliberately acted to help her son avoid arrest.

Kiran Kaur, 53, was sentenced after being found guilty of assisting her son, Vickrum Digwa, in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak in Southampton. Prosecutors said her actions removed a vital piece of evidence from the scene, making the early stages of the police investigation significantly more difficult.

While the case unfolded hundreds of miles from Tyneside, it has drawn attention across the UK, including in Newcastle, where concerns around knife crime and violent offences remain an important issue for local communities and police.

Court Heard Mother Removed Murder Weapon.

Southampton Crown Court heard that Digwa, 23, fatally stabbed finance student Henry Nowak on December 3, 2025. During his trial, jurors rejected his claim that he had acted after being racially abused by the teenager.

Digwa was convicted of murder and carrying a knife in public before receiving a life sentence with a minimum prison term of 21 years.

Attention later turned to his mother, Kaur, whose actions immediately after the killing became the focus of a separate prosecution.

The court heard she travelled to the scene, collected the knife used in the attack and took it back to the family home, placing it among a collection of ceremonial and other weapons kept in her son's bedroom.

Judge Says She Helped Conceal Evidence.

Sentencing Kaur, Judge William Mousley KC said her behaviour fell far short of what would be expected from a responsible parent.

He told the court that rather than encouraging her son to accept responsibility for his actions, she chose to help hide crucial evidence that investigators urgently needed.

The judge concluded that removing the weapon from the scene supported her son's false account of events and delayed detectives in establishing exactly what had happened.

He added that her actions were motivated by a desire to stop her son from being caught.

Police Investigation Was Hampered.

Prosecutors described Kaur's involvement as a crucial part of the attempted cover-up.

Nicholas Lobbenberg KC told the court that officers arriving at the scene were already dealing with misleading accounts of the incident. The disappearance of the murder weapon made their work even more difficult during the critical early stages of the investigation.

Investigators eventually recovered the knife after examining CCTV footage and other evidence collected during the inquiry, confirming it was the weapon used to kill Henry Nowak.

The prosecution argued that Kaur never voluntarily revealed what she had done, despite knowing the importance of the evidence.

Defence Argued Actions Were Made in Panic.

Kaur's defence team maintained that she had not been involved in planning any cover-up before receiving a phone call claiming her son had been attacked.

Her barrister told the court she had been misled by Digwa and reacted in a moment of panic rather than after careful thought.

The defence also pointed out that the knife remained inside its sheath and had not been destroyed, cleaned or permanently hidden, arguing these factors showed there had been no sophisticated attempt to eliminate evidence.

The court also heard that Kaur, a mother of five, had previously been regarded as someone of good character who had volunteered within her local community.

Despite those submissions, the judge ruled that the seriousness of her actions justified an immediate custodial sentence.

Knife Crime Remains A National Concern.

Cases involving knives continue to attract widespread public attention across England and Wales, including in cities such as Newcastle where police regularly work with schools, youth organisations and community groups to prevent violence before it escalates.

According to the Office for National Statistics, police recorded 172 knife or sharp instrument homicides in England and Wales during the year ending December 2025, a 21 percent fall from the previous year. Overall knife-enabled offences also dropped by 10 percent to 49,151 incidents. While those figures show encouraging progress, knives remain the most common weapon used in homicides across England and Wales.

The case has also highlighted the legal consequences facing anyone who interferes with evidence following a serious crime, even if they are acting to protect a close family member.

A Tragic Case With Lasting Consequences.

Henry Nowak's death has left a family grieving, while the convictions of both Vickrum Digwa and Kiran Kaur demonstrate how attempts to conceal evidence can carry severe legal penalties alongside the punishment for the original offence.

The case serves as a reminder that the justice system treats interference with murder investigations as an extremely serious offence, particularly where vital evidence is deliberately removed from a crime scene.

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