# Court of Appeal Increases Minimum Prison Term for Henry Nowak's Murderer Vickrum Digwa's sentence was extended after the Attorney General deemed the initial term lenient. - **Source:** [BBC News – England](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england) - **Published:** 2026-11-05 - **Topic:** [politics](https://brifing.si/c/politics) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/5a0c5d0f-03bd-480b-819e-6fa96e732b59 ## Sentence Extension Ruling The Court of Appeal has increased Vickrum Digwa’s minimum prison term from 21 to 25 years for the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak. Digwa, who fatally stabbed the student in Southampton on December 3, 2025, had his original sentence quashed after the Attorney General challenged it as being unduly lenient. ## Judicial Reasoning Process Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr ruled that the initial sentence failed to reflect the gravity of the crime. While the trial judge initially considered a 15-year starting point, the appellate court determined that the repeated use of a large dagger and the subsequent cruelty necessitated a significant upward adjustment. ## Religious Exemption Controversy Digwa carried a large kirpan, a religious blade permitted for baptized Sikhs, which he used as a weapon. The court noted that while carrying the item may be lawful, abusing this exemption to commit murder does not mitigate the offense. Prosecutors argued this misuse was analogous to an abuse of trust. ## Rejection of Racism Claims During the trial, Digwa alleged that Henry Nowak had attacked him and used racial slurs, claiming this led to the confrontation. However, the trial judge dismissed these accusations as fabrications. Digwa, who appeared via video link from HMP Frankland, was denied permission to appeal against his murder conviction during this hearing. ## Family Impact Statement Henry Nowak’s family described the court’s decision as a step toward justice while emphasizing that no sentence can restore their son’s life. They expressed that they are serving a life sentence of grief and confirmed their intention to support an independent rapid review of the case led by Alex Chalk. ## Legal Arguments Presented The Attorney General’s representative, Jonathan Polnay KC, argued that the original 21-year term ignored the high degree of seriousness. Conversely, defense counsel Imran Khan KC contended that the trial judge had double-counted aggravating factors. The judges agreed that community impact should not have been used to increase the sentence. ## Accomplice Sentencing Context The case also involved the conviction of Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, who received a three-year prison sentence in July for assisting an offender. She was found guilty of removing the murder weapon from the scene. Kaur had initially planned to appeal her sentence but abandoned the challenge before Thursday’s hearing. ## Final Parole Eligibility Following the adjustment and the deduction of time already spent on remand, Digwa must serve a minimum of 24 years and 190 days. This revised term ensures he remains incarcerated for a longer duration before he can be considered for parole, reflecting the court's stance on the brutality involved. ## Sources covering this story - [BBC News – England — Court of Appeal Increases Sentence for Henry Nowak Murderer](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmwy9z5423p2o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) - [Sky News – Home — Henry Nowak's Killer Receives Extended Life Sentence](https://news.sky.com/story/henry-nowaks-killer-vickrum-digwa-has-life-sentence-increased-after-bid-to-cut-it-fails-13608421) --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._