A man who stabbed a university student to death with a ceremonial knife has been found guilty of murder.
Vickrum Digwa used a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith to kill 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was walking home from a night out in Southampton on 3 December.
Digwa, 23, told Southampton Crown Court a “wicked lie” that he had acted in self defence, claiming the teenager had used a racist insult, punched him and knocked his turban off.
However, the jury rejected this defence and found him guilty of murder.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the death as officers initially handcuffed and arrested the victim as he lost consciousness.
Robert France, temporary deputy chief constable, apologised and said officers had been lied to in a 999 call made by Digwa’s brother and had faced an “extremely complex” crime scene.