Henry Nowak’s killer Vickrum Digwa wins appeal hearing over 21-year minimum sentence

Following his conviction at Southampton Crown Court, the 23-year-old was sentenced in June 2026 to life imprisonment with a strict minimum term of 21 years.

He is appealing his sentence on the ground that it is too harsh.

The Court of Appeal will hear his case on November 5, according to ITV.

The Attorney General is also appealing, arguing that Digwa’s sentence is too lenient.

Both arguments will be heard at the same time.

In addition to the sentence, Digwa is separately seeking permission to appeal his conviction.

In May, a jury rejected Digwa’s defence that he had been racially abused.

The prosecution successfully argued that it had been a lie.

The court will now decide whether to increase or reduce Digwa’s sentence.

Mr Nowak was fatally stabbed while walking home from a night out with friends in Southampton on December 3 last year.

Digwa stabbed the university student five times with a 21cm dagger.

At the time of Digwa’s arrest, the killer falsely accused Mr Nowak of hurling a racist slur at him.

While his hands were tied behind his back, Mr Nowak repeatedly told officers that he had been stabbed and was unable to breathe while his killer was treated as a victim of racist abuse.

In response to the student’s desperate pleas for help, a policeman responded: "Don’t think you have, mate."

The 23-year-old Sikh also claimed his family had been victims of racist assaults in the past during the nine-minute-long footage of his arrest.

While emergency workers performed CPR on Mr Nowak, Digwa told police: "He pushed my turban off my head, started grabbing my hair. I’m a Sikh, obviously.

"He was grabbing at my hair, dragging me around, and from there an altercation happened. He started stumbling around."

Digwa’s mother, Kirun Kaur, also received a guilty verdict for assisting a defendant by removing the weapon from the scene.