A Sikh man jailed for the murder of an 18-year-old student in Southampton had previously been reported to police for the theft of ceremonial religious blades, the Daily Mail reported.Vikram Dhigwa, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of murdering Henry Nowak, 18, using an eight-inch kirban in Southampton city center in December 2025.Members of Southampton’s Sikh community reportedly contacted police in July 2023 over the alleged theft of ceremonial Shastar blades worth around £1,000.The blades were allegedly taken from the Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar in Southampton, where Dijoa and his brother taught Jatka, a traditional Sikh martial art that involves weapon demonstrations.A source at the gurdwara said Digoa was fired from his position as Jatka’s coach in August 2023, and the alleged theft was later reported to the police.The source told the Daily Mail: “We fired him from his job as a teacher in Jatka in August 2023 and then reported him to the police for stealing about £1,000 worth of Shastar which had been bought with community money.”No charges have been filed in connection with the alleged incident.Degoa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was also found guilty of assisting an offender after prosecutors said she removed the murder weapon from the scene after the stabbing.
While sentencing Degoa to life imprisonment, Judge William Mosley KC told the defendant he had “brought shame to your family and your religion”.The judge also said he was satisfied Henry Nowak “did not say anything racist” during the confrontation, rejecting a key part of Degois’s account of the events leading up to the fatal stabbing.
