Kiran Kaur, the mother of Henry Nowak's killer, could be released from prison early and deported from the UK, the government has signalled.
Kaur, 53, was sentenced to three years behind bars after she moved the murder weapon her son Vickrum Digwa used to stab Nowak to death. She was jailed at Southampton Crown Court in July after being found guilty of assisting an offender.
Kaur is reportedly due to serve less than half of her sentence before being freed as part of the government's early release scheme, around the anniversary of the 18-year-old's murder.
Deportation signal
The mother could also be in line for deportation from the UK, the government has signalled in a statement.
A Government spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Henry Nowak, whose life was cruelly cut short in a horrific act of violence. We will always seek to deport foreign criminals at the first opportunity."
Kaur is reportedly eligible for the government's deportation scheme because she is an Indian national, according to ITV News. It is thought a decision on whether Kaur will be deported to India, after her release, has not been made yet.
Appeal and sentencing
Kaur is also reportedly set to appeal her sentence and will appear at the Court of Appeal on November 5, according to ITV. When her sentence was imposed, the 221 days she had already spent on remand were taken into account, it is understood.
November 5 would be the same day her son is due to appear in court to appeal the length of his sentence. He was ordered to serve at least 21 years behind bars in June. The Attorney General's office, however, is seeking to increase his jail term after referring the case to the Court of Appeal as "unduly lenient". Digwa has also applied to appeal against his conviction for murder, which will be decided separately.
Footage, from Digwa's phone, captured the moment he told his mum to take the knife he used to stab Nowak away from the scene, on the night of the murder on December 3, 2025. At her sentencing, the judge said her actions before and after taking the dagger away "added to your son's pretence that he had done nothing wrong and that he was the victim".
Murder and early release scheme
Digwa stabbed Nowak on Belmont Road, Southampton, and lied to police claiming he was the victim of a racist attack. Police body-worn video showed officers handcuffing Nowak, from Chafford Hundred, Essex, moments before he collapsed and became unconscious.
Some 5,000 prisoners are scheduled to be released in stages over the next year, down from 6,000 after ministers intervened to exempt rapists and the most serious child sex offenders. Ministers say the expanded early release scheme is needed to prevent the justice system from collapsing, after a summer when the issue dominated news headlines.
Some 650 criminals were this week released from prisons around the country under the scheme, less than two weeks after 700 were set free early.
