A university fresher from Essex was stabbed to death in Southampton after filming a confrontation with a man carrying a large knife moments before the fatal attack, a murder trial has heard.

Henry Nowak, 18, had been returning home from a night out on 3 December 2025 when he encountered Vickrum Digwa on Belmont Road, jurors at Southampton Crown Court were told.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC said the first-year accountancy and finance student had been sending Snapchat videos to friends while walking back after consuming alcohol, though reportedly below the legal drink-driving limit. One of those recordings allegedly captured his final interaction with Digwa.

The court heard Digwa was carrying what prosecutors described as “an extremely large knife in a sheath openly displayed over his clothing”. The weapon was referred to as a “shastar”, a Punjabi term for a knife or weapon, and allegedly had a blade measuring about 21cm (8 inches).

Video footage played to jurors reportedly showed Nowak challenging the defendant by saying: “You’re a bad man, say you’re a bad man, go on.” Digwa allegedly responded: “I am a bad man.”

The clip ended shortly afterwards.

Although no one directly witnessed the stabbing itself, nearby residents reportedly heard Nowak crying out that he had been stabbed and was dying. Prosecutors said the teenager attempted to flee by climbing over a fence after sustaining fatal injuries.

A trail of blood presented in court allegedly indicated he had already been mortally wounded while trying to escape. The prosecution claims Digwa then “chose to aggressively pursue him”.

Lobbenberg told jurors that rather than helping the injured student, Digwa instead accused him of racism and intoxication. The court heard police officers initially handcuffed Nowak after arriving at the scene because of allegations made against him by the alleged attacker, before realising the severity of his injuries and beginning emergency treatment.

“Shortly afterwards, Henry became unconscious,” the prosecutor said. “Police began to set to work to give him first aid and summon an ambulance.” Despite the arrival of a doctor by helicopter, Nowak could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination later found he had suffered four stab wounds.

The court also heard that Nowak’s mobile phone was allegedly discovered in Digwa’s pocket after the incident.

Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, is accused of helping remove the knife from the scene. Prosecutors allege she was captured on video taking the weapon to the family home in nearby St Deny’s Road, where police later recovered it.

Digwa denies murder and possessing a knife in a public place. Kaur denies assisting an offender.

The trial continues.

Photo: X @MarioNawfal

Tomasz Modrzejewski