Home Office accused of using knife laws as ‘deflection tactic’ to cover Henry Nowak case ‘failings’

A Sikh organisation has accused the Home Office of hiding behind knife legislation to avoid scrutiny of policing failures following the murder of student Henry Nowak.

The Sikh Federation said the Government is using knife laws as a “deflection tactic” to distract from police “failings”.

Mr Nowak, 18, was stabbed to death by Vickrum Digwa in Southampton on 3 December. As Mr Nowak lay dying, he was handcuffed by police, after his attacker falsely accused him of racial abuse.

The group accused ministers of “inappropriately targeting” the kirpan, a sacred religious blade.

The Sikh Federation said in a statement: “The Home Office is attempting to deflect attention away from the real failings by the police and other Government agencies in the Henry Nowak case by inappropriately targeting the kirpan – a sacred article of Sikh faith – despite the clear fact that the murder weapon was not a kirpan.”

Dabinderjit Singh, the group's chief executive for political engagement, said: "The Home Office appears to be using this case as a deflection tactic. The facts are clear: the murder weapon was not a kirpan.

"Yet instead of addressing the failures that allowed this tragedy to happen, the Government is now allowing inaccurate and harmful narratives about the Sikh faith to take hold.

“That is unacceptable.”

The federation is encouraging more than 250 Gurdwaras, places of worship, to write to Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Thousands of Sikhs are also expected to contact MPs “demanding that the Home Office stop its discriminatory approach and engage properly with Sikh organisations”.

The group has demanded an urgent meeting with the Government.

Mr Singh added: "Sikhs support public safety and the fight against knife crime. But we will not accept the sacred kirpan being falsely associated with a murder weapon that was not a kirpan.

“The Home Office must stop this divisive and irresponsible agenda and meet Sikh institutions immediately.”

Digwa was originally jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years.

On Thursday, that minimum term was increased to 25 years after the Court of Appeal found it was “unduly lenient”.

Judge William Mousley KC told Digwa's sentencing hearing in June that on the night of the murder, the killer had a kirpan hidden from view.

Digwa also had a “large dagger in a sheath” which was 21cm long, due to being part of an order of Sikhs called the Nihang, who have a tradition of having a second knife.

Carrying a knife in public is generally illegal, but exceptions exist for work and religious reasons, including the Sikh kirpan.

Mr Nowak's father, Mark, has called for a clearer definition in law of what a Sikh kirpan looks like. He told ITV News the law should define the kirpan's size, type and whether it must be visible.

He added: “And therefore, anything else should be made illegal.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signalled she is considering a change to knife laws after Mr Nowak's plea.

Asked about Mr Nowak's suggestion, Ms Mahmood told the same broadcaster: "I haven't taken any options off the table.

"I'm also not going in with a fixed mind about what the right clarifications of the law might be.

“It’s important to get the right balance between religious expression in this country, which is something that many of us of a faith, including myself, hold very dearly, but do so in a way that is within what we expect of our citizens for the purposes of the criminal law.”

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said politicians “do need to look at” knife laws, adding: “There is no freedom to murder in any religion and I think that we need to bring some common sense into this.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed its investigation into potential failures in the police response to Mr Nowak's stabbing is expected to wrap up early next year.

The watchdog announced in July that two officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct.