Henry Novak

On July 17, 2026, Kiran Kaur, the mother of Vikram Digwar, was sentenced to three years in prison for assisting an offender. She had removed the knife used by her son to murder 18-year-old Henry Novak from the scene of the attack. The judge stated that a responsible parent would have challenged their son's actions rather than concealing the weapon. The Novak family said they accepted the sentence but were disappointed. The sentencing follows Digwar's life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years, which he is appealing. The prosecution described Kaur's actions as criminality of the highest order, while the defence said her act was spontaneous and impulsive. Other legal proceedings involving Digwar, his brother, and his father on weapons charges are ongoing.

Key Claims by Channel

Wednesday 1 July 2026

Claim
Reported by all 3 channels
The IOPC investigation examines potential failures to recognise that Henry Novak needed urgent medical attention, failure to act immediately after he said he was stabbed, and the decision to handcuff him instead of providing first aid.
Reported by a few · 2 channels
Two Hampshire police officers are under investigation by the IOPC for potential gross misconduct over the handling of Henry Novak's murder.	Not reported by GB News
Vikram Digwar was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering Henry Novak after falsely accusing him of a racist attack.	Not reported by GB News	Reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
The IOPC is examining whether race or religion of those involved impacted the officers' actions or decision-making.	Not reported by GB News	Reported by ITV
The serving of gross misconduct notices does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow.	Not reported by GB News	Reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
The release of body-worn camera footage sparked widespread outrage and protests in Southampton.	Not reported by GB News	Reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
Only on one channel
The IOPC has met with Henry Novak's family and will share its views with them and the force before making final decisions.	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
The IOPC is also investigating the potential actions of staff in the control room.	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
The two officers are currently not at work; if they return during the investigation, they will not be in public-facing duties.	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
The IOPC statement said there is clear evidence that public confidence in the force may have been seriously harmed by the incident.	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
Henry Novak's family formally complained to Hampshire police, leading to the IOPC investigation, and have been kept informed.	Not reported by GB News		Not reported by Sky News
The IOPC stated the two officers were the first to arrive at the scene on 3 December last year.		Not reported by ITV	Not reported by Sky News

Friday 17 July 2026

Claim
Reported by all 3 channels
Digwar initially lied to police, claiming he was the victim of a racist attack.	Reported by Channel 5		Reported by BBC One
The murder weapon was a longer, straighter dagger, not a typical Kirpan.	Reported by Channel 5		Reported by BBC One
Kiran Kaur was sentenced to three years in prison for assisting an offender.	Reported by Channel 5		Reported by BBC One
The judge said a responsible parent would have challenged their son over his actions.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
The Novak family said they accepted the sentence but were disappointed.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Reported by a few · 2 channels
Vikram Digwar admitted to stabbing Henry Novak multiple times in a recorded conversation with his brother.	Not reported by Channel 5		Reported by BBC One
Vikram Digwar is appealing his conviction and sentence.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Police footage of the aftermath of the stabbing caused national outrage when released.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Many Sikhs dispute the use of the word 'kirpan' for the murder weapon.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Kiran Kaur's age was reported as 53 by BBC ONE WestHD and 55 by 5 HD.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Only on one channel
The prosecution called Kaur's actions 'criminality of the highest order'.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One
The defence said Kaur's actions were spontaneous and impulsive, not a plan to obstruct justice.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One
The Supreme Court is appealing Digwar's sentence as too lenient.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Digwar's brother and father face other weapons charges, which they denied.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
The Novak family released previously unreleased photos of Henry as a child.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One
The judge was William Moseley.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One

This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.