The Court of Appeal of England and Wales on Thursday, 5 November, increased the minimum term of life imprisonment for Vickrum Digwa, the killer of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, from 21 to 25 years.
The change was announced, among others, by the BBC Breaking News team on X.
Why the court changed the sentence
The case was heard by a panel of three judges presided over by the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr. Judges Nicklin and Wall also sat on the panel. The court accepted the application of Attorney General Ellie Reeves, who considered the original sentence „unduly lenient”. At the same time, it rejected Digwa’s own appeal, in which he argued that the sentence was „manifestly excessive”. According to the judges, such a position is indefensible.
Baroness Carr said that 21 years did not reflect the gravity of the crime: the sentence „was not only lenient, but unduly lenient”. The sentence went beyond the range available to the court of first instance.
Filming the dying man and the knife
The court pointed to aggravating circumstances. One of them was Digwa filming the victim after the attack, which the judge described as „unimaginable cruelty” causing additional suffering and humiliation. Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay KC argued that the defendant repeatedly used a knife against a defenceless, unarmed stranger. He also noted that the defendant abused the privilege allowing followers of Sikhism to carry blades in public places.
The time Digwa has already spent in custody will count towards the extended sentence.
What 25 years means
This is the minimum period after which the convicted person may apply for conditional release. The sentence itself is life imprisonment, so release is not automatic.
Background to the case
Henry Nowak, a student at the University of Southampton, was stabbed to death in that city on 3 December 2025. Digwa, now 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment in June by a court in Southampton. The case sparked unrest in the United Kingdom after footage from police body-worn cameras was made public, showing officers handcuffing Nowak as he was dying. At the end of October, the British Home Secretary announced that an independent review of Henry Nowak’s case would be carried out, led by Alex Chalk.
Members of Nowak’s family attended the hearing. Baroness Carr thanked those present for their „calm dignity and restraint”.
