The solicitor general, Ellie Reeves, has referred the case of Vickrum Digwa to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme, seeking an increase to his 21-year minimum jail term for the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.
Nowak died in December last year after Digwa stabbed him in Southampton. Digwa falsely claimed he was the victim of a racist attack, leading police to handcuff Nowak and treat him as a suspect despite his pleas that he could not breathe. Digwa watched Nowak struggle without alerting officers, maintaining his lie after repeatedly stabbing the student with a 21cm blade.
The mandatory sentence for murder is life, and the appeal will focus on the minimum term Digwa must serve before parole eligibility. The prosecution had argued for a 25-year starting point, potentially exceeding 30 years with aggravating factors, but the defence successfully argued for a 15-year starting point on the basis that Digwa carried the knife as part of his religious beliefs, resulting in a 21-year tariff.
Reeves stated: 'This case horrified me, and I know that feeling is shared by the British public. After careful consideration, I have taken the decision to refer this case to the court of appeal.' The trial judge noted that Digwa did not take the knife with the purpose to use it as a weapon, but that any legal reason for carrying it ended after he removed it from its sheath.
The case sparked widespread outrage, with far-right groups seizing on the incident and protests turning violent. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the police's handling of the case.
