A man convicted of murdering 18-year-old student Henry Nowak has had his minimum prison term raised to 25 years by the Court of Appeal. Vickrum Digwa, who was originally sentenced to a minimum of 21 years for the December 2025 stabbing in Southampton, saw his term extended after the Attorney General successfully challenged the decision as unduly lenient. Then 22, he was jailed for life at Southampton Crown Court in June. No reduction in our suffering and no prospect of ever getting our son back, there is no appeal for us.
The Lady Chief Justice, presiding over the hearing with Mr Justice Nicklin and Mr Justice Wall, quashed the initial sentence. She determined the original term failed to properly account for the extreme gravity of the offense, noting that while the judge was entitled to consider a 15-year starting point—given that Digwa did not initially intend to commit a crime with the knife—a significant uplift was necessary due to the nature of the weapon used.
Digwa had attacked Nowak with a large dagger in Belmont Road. The court heard that Digwa wore a small kirpan for religious reasons but was also carrying a larger blade, which he abused. The Lady Chief Justice emphasized that the initial legality of carrying such an item does not mitigate the seriousness of its later lethal use, highlighting the cruelty, additional suffering, and subsequent obstruction involved in the attack. And the law allows it to be carried in public for religious reasons, a kirpan is a religious knife which baptised Sikhs are expected to carry at all times.
During the proceedings, Digwa appeared via video link from HMP Frankland. While he had sought to challenge his own sentence as manifestly excessive, the court refused his application and ruled that the original sentencing was indeed too light. Following deductions for time spent on remand, Digwa is now required to serve at least 24 years and 190 days before becoming eligible for parole.
Case Details and Official Statements
- Original sentence: 21-year minimum term.
- Revised sentence: 25-year minimum term.
- Time to serve before parole: 24 years and 190 days.
- Offense date: 3 December 2025.
- Convicted party: Vickrum Digwa (22 at time of sentencing).
- Related conviction: Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, received a three-year sentence for assisting an offender.
- Legal status: Digwa has applied to appeal the underlying murder conviction separately.
Attorney General Ellie Reeves welcomed the ruling, stating that the brutality of the case had shocked the public.
She expressed hope that the revised outcome offers some measure of justice for the family.
Reflecting on the impact of the crime, the Nowak family described the experience as a life sentence of grief, noting that no legal outcome could restore their son to them.
They stated their intention to support an independent rapid review being conducted by Alex Chalk.
In court, the defense had argued that the original judge counted aggravating factors multiple times. The judges partially agreed, noting that the community impact of the case should not have been held against the defendant as it was unintended. However, this did not prevent the increase in the overall sentence. Digwa previously attempted to justify the attack by claiming Nowak had racially abused him, an accusation that was dismissed as a lie by the trial judge. Defending, argued the trial judge had counted overlapping aggravating factors more than once, imran Khan KC.
- My thoughts remain with Henry’s family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.
- And I hope this outcome goes some way towards bringing them the justice they deserve, no sentence can ever fill the void left by his loss.
- During the hearing, Jonathan Polnay KC, for the Attorney General, argued the 21-year term did not sufficiently reflect “the very high degree of seriousness of the offending”.
