Henry Nowak's killer could face a longer sentence

Highlights

• Vickrum Digwa, jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years for murdering Southampton student Henry Nowak, will challenge his sentence at the Court of Appeal on 5 November.
• The same hearing will consider the Attorney General's referral arguing the sentence is too lenient, so it could be increased.
• A separate application to appeal his murder conviction has yet to be decided.

THE man who murdered Southampton student Henry Nowak has been permitted to challenge the length of his sentence. But the same hearing could see it increased.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life in June with a minimum term of 21 years. He stabbed the 18-year-old to death in the city in December 2025.

On November 5, the Court of Appeal will hear his challenge alongside a referral from the Attorney General's office, which argues the sentence was too lenient.

The court is being asked two opposite questions. Digwa argues his minimum term is too long. The Attorney General's office argues it is too short.

The referral was made on June 15 by Ellie Reeves KC, then solicitor general, under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Digwa has also applied to appeal against his murder conviction. That application will be decided separately.

Henry Nowak Eastern Eye

What happened

Nowak, a finance and accounting student at the University of Southampton, came from Chafford Hundred in Essex. He and Digwa were reported to have had an altercation in a Southampton street, apparently over a mobile phone.

After the stabbing, Digwa told police he was the victim of a racist attack. That claim was false.

Nowak told officers he had been stabbed but was initially dismissed. He died from his wounds soon after.

Police body-worn footage released after Digwa's conviction showed officers handcuffing Nowak as he lay on the ground, rather than giving first aid, while he repeatedly said he could not breathe.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary later apologised for handcuffing him. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating two officers for potential gross misconduct.

Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was jailed for three years in July for trying to hide the knife her son used.

The knife and the faith claim

Digwa was also sentenced for possessing a knife in public. He had claimed in court that the 21cm (8in) blade was carried as part of his Sikh faith.

The release of the footage sparked protests in Southampton on June 2. Twelve police officers and a police dog were injured.

Demonstrators gathered outside the city centre police station, then moved to an area near the Digwa family home and the murder scene. More than 30 people have so far been charged with violent disorder.

Sikh leaders have reported a backlash and a rise in hate crime against their community since the case.

The Court of Appeal will hear both sentence challenges on November 5 . The conviction application, the IOPC investigation and the disorder prosecutions are all still ongoing.