Indian woman faces deportation after hiding son's fatal stabbing weapon

A 53-year-old Indian woman jailed for helping her British Sikh son after he fatally stabbed a teenager in England faces deportation to India, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

Kiran Kaur was sentenced to three years in prison in July for removing the weapon used by her son, Vickrum Digwa, to kill 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton on December 3 last year. While Digwa is serving a life sentence, Kaur is set for early release under a government scheme aimed at easing pressure on prisons.

In a statement cited by PTI, the UK Home Office said: “We will always seek to deport foreign criminals at the first opportunity.” Without referring to a specific case, it added: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Henry Nowak, whose life was cruelly cut short in a horrific act of violence.”

Foreign nationals jailed for 12 months or more are generally considered for deportation, though exceptions apply and such decisions can be challenged.

Kaur has appealed against her sentence, with a hearing scheduled in the UK Court of Appeal on November 5. Her son has also secured permission to appeal against his sentence, and his hearing is listed for the same date.

Digwa, 23, was sentenced in June to life imprisonment and must serve at least 21 years before becoming eligible for parole.

The case caused an uproar after Digwa sought to use a religious self-defence argument, claiming that the weapon was a kirpan, a ceremonial knife that Sikhs are legally allowed to carry in the UK.

While sentencing Kaur, Justice William Mousley said: “It is a fundamental principle of Sikhism that any kirpan is worn as a symbol of religious faith and is never to be carried for an offensive purpose.”

He added: “It is obvious that for use to be reasonable, any perceived threat justifying its use would only be in circumstances of great seriousness and urgency. You would have been fully aware of that.”

The judge told Kaur: “A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encouraged them to do the right thing. Instead, you took the knife home and put it with a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in your son's bedroom.”

Justice Mousley referred to Kaur as having had a “hard life” in India, which improved after she married and moved to the UK nearly 30 years ago. “Your actions were, mistakenly, to protect your son rather than for any personal gain, and you are very unlikely to re-offend,” he said.

As details of the crime emerged in court earlier this year, British Sikh groups and parliamentarians condemned the misrepresentation of the kirpan and stressed that “no religious protection or justification applied” in the case.

The case also led to community tensions in Southampton and the wider Hampshire and Isle of Wight area. Police officers remain under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct over allegations of “two-tier” policing, in which one community is prioritised over another.

The investigation relates to police body-camera footage of Nowak's final moments. It showed officers handcuffing him following Digwa's allegations of racism, which were later rejected in court.

Kaur, who is due for early release after being jailed for helping her son following the fatal stabbing, could therefore face deportation to India, even as both she and Digwa pursue appeals against their sentences.

With PTI Inputs

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