The public has seen distressing bodycam footage of Henry Nowak’s death following the incident. What we haven't seen is the footage reportedly filmed by Nowak himself in the moments before the fatal confrontation, or a clear image of the smaller, separate kirpan Digwa is reported to have also been wearing underneath his clothing that night, distinct from the knife used in the attack.

That gap matters. When only part of the evidence is public, people fill in the rest with speculation — and speculation, not fact, is what spreads online.

What we're asking
This petition does not seek to challenge the verdict, which has already been decided by the court, and takes no position on Digwa's pending appeal. We're asking a simple, reasonable question: why is only some of the evidence public, and are there legitimate reasons the rest is being withheld?

If there are good legal reasons, we'd like to hear them. If there aren't, the remaining material — pre-incident footage and clear information about the weapon(s) involved — should be released wherever legally possible, so the public can see the full picture and draw its own conclusions. Access to information isn't a favour the state grants us; it's a basic democratic principle, especially in cases that have already generated this much public debate.

We recognise the pre-incident footage is reportedly not graphic, unlike the bodycam footage that has already been made public. Henry Nowak's family have said publicly that they want the ongoing investigations to leave no stone unturned in the search for the full truth. In that same spirit, we ask the family, alongside the police and prosecuting authorities, to consider releasing the pre-incident footage — not because anyone doubts their commitment to the truth, but because doing so would help the wider public reach the same clarity the family is asking investigators to pursue. Given how much public controversy and division this case has already generated, release of this evidence is squarely in the public interest, not just of interest to those following the case closely.

Clarifying the weapon
Public reporting has repeatedly referred to "the kirpan" used in this attack. But court proceedings indicate Digwa carried two separate blades that night: a small ceremonial kirpan, worn under his clothing, and a separate, much larger blade — reported as a pesh-kabz, a dagger associated with Nihang Sikh tradition rather than the standard kirpan — which was the weapon actually used to stab Nowak.

This distinction has real consequences. Sikh community leaders have said that continued conflation of the two — treating the weapon used in the killing as if it were the standard religious kirpan — has directly fuelled public confusion and a backlash against Sikhs who had no connection to this crime.

We're asking for clear, official confirmation distinguishing the two blades — what each one was, and what the court found about the legal basis for carrying each — so the public can see exactly what a lawfully-carried kirpan looks like versus the specific weapon involved in the killing.

Henry Nowak's family have also said publicly that they are urging the government to deliver "changes" in the wake of this case, without specifying what those changes are. Given that the court found the weapon used was not, in fact, the standard kirpan, we think it's important for the public to understand exactly what changes are being called for. We ask the family to clarify this, so that public debate is grounded in what was actually established at trial, rather than assumption.

Separately, in his statement following the verdict, Henry's father called for "stronger action on the sale, the ownership and carrying of all knives" and said people should not be able to carry a 21cm blade openly, while also saying he did not want Henry's death "to be used to create further division, hatred or tension" and that this was not a case about Sikhism. Some members of the Sikh community have read the first statement as extending to the kirpan; others read the second statement as ruling that out. We ask the family to clarify directly: does their call for "stronger action" on knives include the kirpan specifically, or is it about knife law more broadly? Given that the weapon used in this case had already fallen outside legal protection the moment it was used offensively, what specific further change is being sought? A clear answer would help settle a genuine point of public confusion rather than leaving it to interpretation on either side.

Why this matters beyond one case
Incomplete and imprecise information didn't just fuel online arguments — it had real consequences. Following the trial, the Sikh Federation UK reported a sharp rise in hate incidents against British Sikhs, which community leaders have linked directly to inaccurate and sensationalised media coverage of the case, including the confusion described above.

That's not a side issue. It's the core one. When reporting gets ahead of the facts, real people pay the price — most visibly, a religious community facing a backlash for something that misreporting, not fact, attributed to them.

This is not an abstract concern. On 12 July 2026, a young Sikh woman, Kirandeep Kaur, was stabbed to death in Hayes, London, in an attack that also injured a second victim in the street shortly before. Her family and Sikh community leaders have called for the attack to be investigated as a hate crime; the police have not yet confirmed a motive. Whatever the outcome of that investigation, the case shows why accuracy and timely, complete information matter — for victims and their families on all sides, and for public trust in how these cases are reported and resolved.

Our ask is simple

• Release pre-incident evidence wherever legally permissible, or provide a clear, public explanation of the legal reason it cannot be released.
• Publish clear, accurate information and images of both blades involved, and what was legally established about each, to end ongoing public confusion.
• Ask the Nowak family to clarify specifically what "changes" and what "stronger action" on knives they are calling for, and whether this includes the kirpan.
• Hold media outlets to a basic standard of fairness and accuracy in high-profile, high-tension cases, and support referring clearly inaccurate or misleading coverage to press regulators such as IPSO or Ofcom.

Full information doesn't threaten justice. It supports it. Sign to call for transparency, accuracy, and fairness — for the Nowak family, for the Sikh community, and for public trust in how the truth gets told.

Sign and share this petition.