00:00It was an evil act. I know the thoughts of the whole house will now be with Henry's family and
00:06his friends just as mine are. What they have been through is heartbreaking, for most of us
00:13unimaginable. I know nothing can take their pain and loss away, but yesterday we saw some measure
00:20of justice. Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment. He will serve a minimum term of 21 years.
00:27I expect many in this house and many more across this country have now seen the police
00:32officers' body cam footage released last night. It is, without question, a disturbing and tragic
00:40thing to see. People are rightly asking questions about how the situation was handled and they
00:46are shocked and disquieted to hear Henry's words, I can't breathe. I know that it is difficult to
00:54wait any longer for answers. But there is a proper process to assess whether there have
00:58been incidents of police misconduct, led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the
01:04IOPC. They will determine what could and should have been done differently. They will determine
01:10what action may need to be taken against individual officers. In relation to knife controls, there
01:15have been calls to limit the right of Sikhs to carry their ceremonial knife, the kirpan, one
01:21of the five holy items in their faith. The Offensive Weapons Act of 2019, passed under the previous
01:27government, clarified and strengthened existing legal protections in relation to long kirpans.
01:33This included extending defences so that kirpans can be lawfully possessed for religious reasons
01:38and used in religious and ceremonial contexts. But let me be clear. Carrying a knife for the
01:45purpose of religious observance is one thing. Using it, as so tragically occurred in this
01:51case, is quite another. It is a vile act, a crime of the utmost severity and it will be met
01:59with the severest punishment.
02:00PUNISHMENT
02:00And
Comments