Shabana Mahmood considers banning Sikh daggers after 18-year-old’s murder

Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years in March over his murder, but this was increased to 25 years on Thursday after the Court of Appeal found it was “unduly lenient”.

During his trial, the 23-year-old successfully argued the eight-inch blade he used to stab the student to death was a Sikh kirpan.

He also had a “large dagger in a sheath” which was 21cm long because he was part of an order of Sikhs called the Nihang, who carry a second knife by tradition.

While it is generally a crime to carry a knife in public, there are exceptions for penknives and blades carried for work, as well as for blades carried for religious reasons.

There are also exceptions for blades carried for religious reasons, with Sikhs allowed to carry the kirpan as part of their faith.

The Nowak family has urged the Government to bring in a clearer definition in law of what a Sikh kirpan looks like following Henry’s death.

The Home Secretary told ITV News: “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.”

Despite saying the kirpan’s exemption had been “long understood”, Ms Mahmood argued: “Recent practices of much bigger kirpans on display is much different to how most Sikhs have practised this part of their religion, where usually it’s a much smaller blade and is discreetly worn.

“What I’ve undertaken to the Nowak family is that I will look at this issue carefully.”

In the same programme, Henry’s father, Mark Nowak, said he did not accept the issue was “difficult to legislate”.

“Because the current ambiguity is probably being dealt with on the streets of Britain right now with police officers not knowing when to act and when not to act,” he added.

Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, said ministers “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 Conservative Party leader said: “This is something that we do need to look at because we want to make sure that religious minorities are integrated into our culture and that people don’t use loopholes which exist for religious minorities to commit crimes.

“I don’t think using a religious object should allow you to have a lesser sentence.

“If somebody hurts you with a wooden crucifix, they shouldn’t get a lighter sentence.”

Mrs Badenoch also suggested there may have been a police “cover up” regarding the actions of officers who attended the scene before Henry’s death.

Henry was handcuffed by officers as he lay dying when his attacker falsely accused him of racial abuse.

The Leader of the Opposition also said she does “not have that full confidence” in the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is currently investigating the official response to the incident.

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