The family of Vickrum Digwa has been accused of adding insult to injury after issuing a statement asking that Henry Nowak’s murder not be used to cause “further pain,” despite fierce public anger over the way the 18-year-old was stabbed, falsely accused, handcuffed and left dying in the street.

Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years on Monday after stabbing 18-year-old Henry Nowak multiple times in Southampton. According to the account provided, Henry was stabbed five times, including twice in the back of the legs, once in the face and once fatally in the chest.

The case has caused national outrage not only because of the killing itself, but the wider context. After the stabbing, Digwa’s brother phoned police and claimed that “some White guy” had racially insulted his brother. Henry had not done so, a court ruled. Instead, Digwa had used a ceremonial knife to stab him repeatedly.

Police then arrested Henry purely on the basis of the report of racial assault against him. Bodycam footage released by the Crown Prosecution Service after the sentencing showed Henry lying motionless on the ground while being arrested on suspicion of assault. He told officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe.

🇬🇧 The distressing bodycam footage of Henry Nowak's final minutes has been released by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Henry was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, with an 8-inch blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith, while walking home alone in December last year in… pic.twitter.com/mIM1BgGdkj

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 1, 2026

“I don’t think you have, mate,” one officer replied.

Henry died minutes later.

Against that background, the Digwa family’s statement has been met with disbelief. The statement said, “The loss of a young life is a grief that no family should ever have to carry. We are deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the Nowak family has had to endure.”

“We love Vickrum. We will continue to love him. That love does not stand in opposition to the sorrow we feel for the Nowak family. Both are real, and both will remain with us for the rest of our lives.”

But the line that has drawn particular anger came later, when the family said: “We would give anything to turn back time so the path of both Henry and Vickrum never crossed that night. We cannot change what has happened; we just hope that no further pain is caused in its name.”

Rather than calling an ambulance, Digwa filmed Henry. The murder weapon was given to his mother, and police later found it at the family home along with more than 20 other weapons. His mother is due to be sentenced for removing the murder weapon from the crime scene.

“We ask that this tragedy is not used by anyone to inflame division or hostility towards any community. We now ask for privacy as we come to terms with what lies ahead,” the family added.

The Digwa family ask for privacy so they can ‘come to terms with what lies ahead’. F*** off. They didn’t call an ambulance, they lied to police, they played the race card, they also raised a monster. They get to visit their son in prison, the Nowaks will never see their son again pic.twitter.com/2QG7sHsEs6

— Patrick Christys (@PatrickChristys) June 2, 2026

GB News anchor Patrick Christys wrote in response, “F*** off. They didn’t call an ambulance, they lied to police, they played the race card, they also raised a monster. They get to visit their son in prison, the Nowaks will never see their son again.”

Political commentator Connor Tomlinson wrote, “The Digwa family aren’t sorry. They just wish they hadn’t been caught.”

“Note that they laundered this face-saving statement through a ‘Sikh Press Association’ account,” he added. “I can’t name a white advocacy organisation that would publish a statement from a family who conspired to cover up a murder.”

GB News presenter Michelle Dewberry said she had heard what members of the Digwa contingent had said and done in court towards the Nowak family.

“It didn’t sound like the behavior of people who are ‘deeply sorry’ to me,” she wrote. Dewberry was referencing the conduct of the Digwa family at the court during Monday’s sentencing hearing, in which they continued to claim they were being racially discriminated against.

Presenter Dan Wootton also condemned the statement, writing. “This is a revolting and reprehensible statement from Henry Nowak murderer Digwa’s family.”

The conduct of Digwa’s relatives is now under wider scrutiny. Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick, a former Conservative Home Office minister, asked why Digwa’s brother and father had not yet been charged.

I hope Hampshire Police and the CPS have a good explanation as to why Digwa’s brother and father have not yet been charged.

His mother is being sentenced soon for removing the murder weapon from the crime scene.

If his brother and father knew Henry had been stabbed, are they…

— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) June 2, 2026

“I hope Hampshire Police and the CPS have a good explanation as to why Digwa’s brother and father have not yet been charged,” he wrote. “His mother is being sentenced soon for removing the murder weapon from the crime scene. If his brother and father knew Henry had been stabbed, are they not accessories too?

“The brother called 999 to falsely report Henry for racially attacking the murderer. The father physically detained a dying Henry until the police arrived. None of them informed the police that Henry had been stabbed. All watched him die, handcuffed, on the ground,” he added.

Henry’s family issued statements outside court after the sentencing. They described his treatment by police as “inhumane and degrading.” His father said Henry “did not die with dignity.” His sister, Olivia Nowak, said, “The day we got the knock on the door to say my brother had passed, I don’t think there are any words to describe that type of pain. A lot of myself died when he died.

“Henry was the most wonderful, funny, handsome, kind, precious, smart boy. He lit every room he walked in,” she added.

The fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder.

We should respond to this with pure cold rage.

Britain’s historic way of life is being thrown away. pic.twitter.com/4N6vL76q1F

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) June 2, 2026

On Tuesday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said people should respond to Henry Nowak’s death with “pure cold rage,” calling it evidence of a “two-tier culture.”

Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe said Digwa should face the death penalty. “A Restore Britain Government, with the British people’s approval, would put Vickrum Digwa to death,” he wrote. “Henry Nowak was stabbed by Digwa five times, including twice in the back of his legs, once in the face, and a fatal wound to the chest.”

Enough is enough – a deep line needs to be drawn in the sand. Talk is weak. Britain needs to say no more, and mean it.

A Restore Britain Government, with the British people's approval, would put Vickrum Digwa to death.

Henry Nowak was stabbed by Digwa five times, including… pic.twitter.com/GXFp8WnmFA

— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) June 2, 2026

“Rather than calling an ambulance, Digwa filmed Henry. Digwa gave the knife to his mother and it was found by police at their home along with more than 20 other weapons. Keeping this savage alive serves nobody,” he added.

Lowe also said the police officers at the scene “who allowed Henry to die” would face criminal charges for gross negligence manslaughter under a Restore Britain government, and that “Digwa’s foreign family will be deported.”