The sentence handed down to the man who fatally stabbed Henry Nowak has been referred to the Court of Appeal. Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC requested a review of the prison term given to 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Statement from the Solicitor General
She stated: "This case horrified me, and I know that feeling is shared by the British public. It is right that difficult questions need to be answered about the way the police handled Henry Nowak's murder, while my role is to review Digwa's sentence for his crimes. After careful consideration, I have taken the decision to refer this case to the Court of Appeal."
"No sentence can ever undo the devastation that Henry's family have suffered, or fill the void left by his loss. But I hope this referral goes some way towards bringing them the justice they deserve."
Details of the Case
Digwa, 23, was jailed for life and given a minimum term of 21 years by Judge William Mousley KC at Southampton Crown Court on June 1. The 18-year-old student was repeatedly stabbed in the street with a blade which Digwa claimed he was carrying because of his Sikh faith. He was seen brandishing a gun in his back garden in new unseen footage. The video shows Vickrum Digwa holding the weapon while a second person shoots bullets at a wooden board on October 18, 2022.
The neighbour, who filmed the clip, said they were startled when hearing "loud gunshots" from the house next door in Southampton. The ex-neighbour went to inspect what was going on, and filmed Digwa and another man holding guns in their back garden.
Murder and Aftermath
Digwa has been jailed for life for murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak as he walked from a night out in Southampton on December 3, 2025. Southampton Crown Court heard that Digwa had stabbed Nowak five times. When police arrived at the scene, Digwa claimed that he had been racially abused by Nowak, and claimed that he had knocked his turban off. These accusations led officers to arrest and handcuff the student before he died at the scene.
During the sentencing hearing, Digwa was described as a man with a "weapon obsession". Nicholas Lobbenberg KC, for the prosecution, also said Digwa was "skilled with weapons, trained with weapons, sleeps with weapons, searches for weapons on his phone". The neighbour said: "We could hear gunshots, we went to look and saw them shooting guns at a wooden board. We filed a report to the police, but they told us they couldn't do anything as there had been no reports from other residents. We would hear a lot of shouting and arguing sometimes, but overall, they were quiet neighbours."
"I didn't see him come and go often, but I would see him in the garden a lot." Hampshire Police were unable to find a report of the incident but did discover an air pistol at the property where Digwa lived with his family in a search following Henry's murder.
