Henry Nowak’s killer has sentence increased to 25 years

Vickrum Digwa, who was convicted of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak, has had the minimum term of his life sentence increased by the Court of Appeal. Initially sentenced to serve a minimum of 21 years for the fatal stabbing that took place on Belmont Road, Southampton, in December 2025, Digwa’s sentence has now been raised to 25 years. This decision followed a referral by the Attorney General, who considered the original sentence to be “unduly lenient,” while Digwa himself argued that the sentence was “manifestly excessive.”

During the hearing, the Lady Chief Justice, alongside Mr Justice Nicklin and Mr Justice Wall, scrutinized the circumstances of the case. Although the trial judge had started with a 15-year base term, reasoning that Digwa had not brought the knife to the scene intending to commit a crime, the appeal court found this to be insufficient. A “very significant uplift” was deemed necessary due to Digwa’s use of a large kirpan, a traditional Sikh knife. While carrying a kirpan is a religious practice permitted by law, Digwa was found to be unlawfully carrying a larger kirpan tied to the Nihang Sikh order, which was repeatedly used in the attack with lethal intent.

The court highlighted that the original sentence failed to adequately acknowledge the severity of Digwa’s actions, which included deliberate cruelty and efforts to obstruct justice following the stabbing. As a result, the minimum prison term Digwa must serve before parole eligibility is extended to at least 24 years and 190 days, accounting for the time he spent on remand. Additionally, the trial judge dismissed Digwa’s claims that Nowak had racially abused and physically attacked him—claims which appeared during the investigation but were ruled to be false.

Henry Nowak’s family issued a statement describing the court’s decision as “an important step towards justice,” while emphasizing that “no sentence, however long, can ever give Henry his life back.” They conveyed enduring grief, stating, “We have been given a life sentence of grief. There is no appeal for us, no reduction in our suffering and no prospect of ever getting our son back.” The family also expressed their intention to continue pursuing justice, voicing support for an independent review. Attorney General Ellie Reeves remarked, “The brutality and cruelty of this case horrified me, and I know that feeling is shared by the British public,” extending her condolences to Nowak’s loved ones and hoping that the revised sentence brings some measure of justice for the family