The grandmother of convicted killer Vickrum Digwa has defended the actions of his mother, saying she "only did what any parent would've done" after helping conceal the weapon used in the murder of Henry Nowak.
Speaking publicly for the first time since Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday, 75-year-old Bimla Kaur said the case had devastated both families and left her relatives living in fear.
"This whole case has destroyed two families – Henry's and mine," she told the Daily Mail.
23-year-old Digwa was convicted of murdering Nowak in Southampton on December 3 last year using a Sikh ceremonial blade kirpan. His mother, 52-year-old Kiran Kaur was later found guilty of assisting a murderer after hiding the knife at her son's request. She is currently on remand and is due to be sentenced later this month.
Kaur defended her daughter-in-law and said: "She only did what any mother would have done".
The grandmother described Kiran as a devoted Sikh and a dedicated housewife who focused entirely on raising her children in a traditional family environment.
"Now she's going to be punished for this," she added.
Kaur expressed sympathy for the victim's family and made clear that she did not excuse her grandson's actions.
"He's done a very bad thing – there's no argument over that," she said, describing Digwa as a "difficult boy".
According to Kaur, the fallout from the case has left her family fearing for their safety. Following Digwa's conviction and the release of police body camera footage, violent protests broke out in Southampton. Some demonstrators travelled to the street where the Digwa family lived.
Kaur said her son, Moga, and grandson, Gurpreet, have since left their home and are staying with relatives at an undisclosed location.
"It's not safe for them to be in their home because it was targeted the other night and it's only a matter of time before it is attacked again," she said.
Although she remains at her home in central Southampton, Kaur said the family has also received threats.
She said: "We're all living in fear because we've also had some threats and are worried that we might also get attacked. But we've been in this city a long time, our whole extended family is here, and we don't have anywhere else to go."
Kaur also spoke about her family's connection to the Nihangs, a centuries-old Sikh warrior order known for carrying traditional weapons and defending the Sikh faith. She said many male members of her family, including Digwa's father and brother, belong to the order.
"It's an important part of our faith and it's something that I'm proud of," she said.
However, she insisted her grandson's actions went against those values.
She added: "These weapons are not meant to be used on the innocent, so something has gone wrong."
During the trial, Digwa was described as being "weapons obsessed" and was found to possess several illegal weapons in addition to ceremonial kirpans.
Members of the Sikh community have also distanced themselves from him. Jas Singh of Sikh Federation UK said: "He is a fake Nihang. Yes, weapons are important to us, and we learn to use them, but it is clearly stipulated that they can only be used to protect the faith, uphold justice and defend the innocent, not kill them. The Nihangs are an upright and noble people, but Digwa was none of these things. He was a common thug and yob, no different to any other you commonly see on the streets of Britain."
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