Vickrum Digwa being sentenced for murdering Henry Nowak in Southampton

‘There is nothing I can do to bring him back’published at 14:22 BST

14:22 BST

Henry Nowak’s father Mark Nowak is the first to address the court.

In a victim personal statement, he speaks of being “tormented” by thoughts of his son’s final moments and the “horrific pain” he felt over the death.

“I couldn’t help Henry in his final moments and there is nothing I can do to bring him back,” he says.

“He had been dead for more than 24 hours before I knew.

“That night I lay on his bed hugging his pillows, wanting and needing to be close to him.”

Mark Nowak, who wears glasses and a dark suit, speaks of “sitting in a mortuary holding his hand, the same hand I held when he was born”.

He says Henry was an “incredible brother” to his three siblings.