Henry Nowak’s killer appeals conviction and sentence

Custody photograph of Vickrum Digwa wearing a turban and grey sweatshirt. — Image caption,

Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years for Henry Nowak’s murder

The man who murdered student Henry Nowak is seeking to appeal against his conviction and sentence, the Court of Appeal has confirmed.

Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years in June after fatally stabbing the 18-year-old in Southampton last December.

The sentence has already been referred to the Court of Appeal as “unduly lenient” by the Solicitor General, Ellie Reeves.

But on Friday, the court confirmed Digwa is seeking to appeal against his conviction and sentence.

No date for either the appeal or the bid to increase the sentence has been set, with no details provided about Digwa’s challenge.

After stabbing Henry, who came from Chafford Hundred in Essex, Digwa lied to police that he was the victim of a racist attack.

The case later sparked protests after police body-worn footage was released showing officers failing to give him first aid and instead handcuffing him as he lay dying, despite him telling officers he could not breathe.

When Digwa was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court, Henry’s father Mark Nowak said the difference between the way the killer and his son were treated was “unbearable”.

Digwa was also sentenced for carrying a knife in public and his mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty of assisting an offender after she attempted to hide the blade used in the attack. She will be sentenced on 17 July.

Image source, Handout

Image caption,

Henry Nowak was a student at the University of Southampton

A day later, Sir Keir Starmer said there were “serious questions” to answer about the case.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said on Wednesday it was investigating two officers for potential gross misconduct.

This included potential failures to realise Henry needed urgent medical attention, to take action when he said he had been stabbed and could not breathe, and the decision to arrest and handcuff him instead of providing first aid.

One of the officers is also under investigation for potentially breaching conduct standards by dismissing the teenager’s claim that he had been stabbed.

The watchdog is also looking at whether race or religion played a part in the officers’ decision-making.

Nowak case: What happened and why did it cause national outrage?
Watch: Henry’s killer repeatedly lies to police
How police took eight minutes to find fatal stab wound

Protests erupted in Southampton on 2 June after police bodycam footage showing the two officers interactions with Henry as he lay dying was released.

Twelve police officers and a police dog were injured during the protests, which began with demonstrators gathering outside the city centre police station before moving to an area near the Digwa family home.

Seventeen people have so far been jailed for their involvement in the disorder.

In the aftermath, leaders within Southampton’s Sikh community urged people to maintain “peace and harmony”.

The Council of Southampton Gurdwaras, which represents the city’s Sikh population, condemned Digwa’s actions and stressed that violence on the streets should never be accepted or tolerated.