UK Henry Nowak murder case: Court increases Vickrum Digwa's minimum term to 25 years after ruling 21-year sentence 'unduly lenient'

Vickrum Digwa, Sikh man who was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing 18-year-old student Henry Nowak in Southampton, will have to serve at least 25 years before becoming eligible for parole after the Court of Appeal increased his minimum term from 21 years.The decision followed a challenge by Attorney General Ellie Reeves, who argued that the original sentence was unduly lenient. Digwa had also appealed against the term, describing it as manifestly excessive. However, the court rejected his challenge and ruled that the original punishment failed to reflect the full seriousness of the offence, according to BBC.Digwa stabbed Nowak with a large dagger on Belmont Road, Southampton, on December 3 last year. The 22-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment at Southampton Crown Court in June.The appeals were heard on Thursday by Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, alongside Mr Justice Nicklin and Mr Justice Wall. Digwa attended the proceedings through a video link from HMP Frankland.In delivering the ruling, Baroness Carr said the trial judge was entitled to set a starting point of 15 years because Digwa had not brought the weapon to the scene with the intention of committing a crime. However, she said the use of a large kirpan required a substantial increase in the minimum term.A kirpan is a religious blade that baptised Sikhs are expected to carry. UK law permits Sikhs to carry such knives in public for religious purposes. Digwa wore a smaller kirpan around his neck but also carried a larger blade secured to his belt, following the practices of the Nihang order.The court said the lawful possession of the weapon did not lessen the seriousness of using it to kill someone. Baroness Carr said the earlier sentence had failed to account adequately for the repeated use of the dagger, the intention to kill and the suffering inflicted on Nowak, as well as the obstruction that followed."It was not only lenient, but unduly so," she said.After accounting for the time Digwa has already spent in custody on remand, he must serve at least 24 years and 190 days before he can be considered for parole, as per the outlet.Nowak's family described the increased sentence as "an important step towards justice" but said it could not compensate for their loss."No sentence, however long, can ever give Henry his life back," the family said in a statement, as cited by BBC.They added that they had been left with "a life sentence of grief", saying there was no reduction in their suffering and no possibility of getting their son back. The family also said their pursuit of justice was continuing and expressed support for an independent rapid review being carried out by Alex Chalk.Attorney General Reeves said the brutality of the killing had deeply affected her and expressed sympathy for Nowak's family."No sentence can ever fill the void left by his loss, and I hope this outcome goes some way towards bringing them the justice they deserve," she said.During the appeal hearing, Jonathan Polnay KC, representing the Attorney General, argued that the original 21-year minimum term did not reflect the seriousness of the crime. He said Digwa had taken advantage of the legal exemption permitting Sikhs to carry religious blades, describing the circumstances as comparable, in some respects, to an abuse of trust.Imran Khan KC, representing Digwa, argued that the trial judge had counted some aggravating factors more than once. He maintained that the original term was already excessive, saying: "To put it pithily, the Attorney General says 21 years was too little. We say it was too much."The appeal judges agreed that certain factors should not have been treated as aggravating circumstances, including the wider impact of the killing on the community, which Digwa had neither anticipated nor intended.Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, was sentenced to three years in prison in July for assisting an offender by removing the murder weapon from the scene. She withdrew her challenge against that sentence shortly before Thursday's hearing.Digwa has separately applied for permission to appeal against his murder conviction. That application will be considered independently of the sentencing decision.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.