Henry Nowak’s family condemn killer’s sentence appeal and mother’s early release

Vickrum Digwa is appealing against his life sentence for murdering student Henry Nowak, while the Attorney General is asking the court to consider whether the sentence was too lenient. Nowak’s family say the appeal is “ludicrous” and have also criticised the planned early release of Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur.

Digwa, 23, was convicted of stabbing 18-year-old Nowak five times in Southampton on 3 December. He was sentenced earlier this year to life in prison, with a minimum term of 21 years. His appeal, scheduled for Thursday, argues that the sentence is too severe. The court will also consider the Attorney General’s referral, which argues it was unduly lenient.

Kaur was sentenced to three years in July for assisting an offender after hiding the knife used to kill Nowak. She is appealing against her sentence. The BBC reports that she is due to be released in December, after serving one year, under the government’s early-release scheme.

Most prisoners serving fixed-term sentences of up to two and a half years are eligible for release on licence after serving one-third of their sentence, rather than half. Kaur’s offence is not among those excluded from the scheme. She spent 221 days on remand, which the Ministry of Justice said was taken into account when she was sentenced. People released on licence can be recalled to prison if they breach its conditions.

Nowak’s stepmother, Katie Nowak, said the family felt the appeal meant “another process” and “another fight” after what she called a clear verdict. His father, Mark Nowak, called Kaur’s early release “an absolute disgrace”. His mother, Lucy Ross, told ITV News that Kaur’s release date, close to the anniversary of her son’s death, felt “particularly cruel”.