Nowak Killer Granted Leave to Appeal 21-Year Murder Sentence

The man convicted of murdering 18-year-old student Henry Nowak has been given permission to challenge the length of his sentence, the BBC reported. Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years in June after stabbing Nowak to death in Southampton in December 2025.

What did the court agree to review?

The Court of Appeal will hear Digwa's challenge to his sentence on Nov. 5, alongside a separate referral from the Attorney General's office, which argued the 21-year minimum term was too lenient, according to the BBC. Digwa has also applied to appeal his murder conviction, a request that will be decided in a separate hearing.

Why is the Attorney General's office involved?

Former Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC referred the case to the Court of Appeal on June 15 under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, the BBC reported. That referral means judges on Nov. 5 could either reduce Digwa's minimum term, as he is requesting, or increase it, as the Attorney General's office has argued.

What happened at the original trial?

Digwa was convicted of murdering Nowak, who was from Chafford Hundred in Essex and studied at the University of Southampton. He was also sentenced separately for possessing a knife in public. In court, Digwa said the 21-centimeter blade was carried as part of his Sikh faith, according to the BBC. After the stabbing, Digwa told police he had been the victim of a racist attack, a claim the BBC described as a lie.

What happened after the killing sparked protests?

The case drew public anger after police body-worn camera footage was released showing officers failing to give Nowak first aid and instead handcuffing him as he lay dying, despite Nowak telling them he could not breathe, the BBC reported. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has said it is investigating two officers for potential gross misconduct over the response.

The footage's release preceded protests in Southampton on June 2, during which 12 police officers and a police dog were injured, according to the BBC. Demonstrators first gathered outside the city center police station before moving toward the Digwa family home and the murder scene. More than 30 people have since been charged with violent disorder in connection with the unrest. Sikh community leaders have separately reported a rise in hate crime and what they described as a backlash against their community following the case, the BBC reported.

What happens at the Nov. 5 hearing?

Judges will weigh two competing arguments at once: Digwa's bid to shorten the 21-year minimum and the Attorney General's office's position that the term was already too short. The BBC did not report a timeline for a ruling beyond the hearing date itself.

Glossary

Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme: A process allowing the Attorney General's office to ask the Court of Appeal to review a Crown Court sentence it considers too low for a serious crime.

Minimum term: The minimum number of years a person serving a life sentence for murder must spend in prison before becoming eligible to apply for parole.