Henry Nowak's killer Vickrum Digwa gets minimum term raised to 25 years
Vickrum Digwa's minimum life sentence for the Southampton stabbing murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak has been increased from 21 to 25 years by the Court of Appeal.
Court of Appeal raises minimum term for Southampton murder to 25 years
The family of Henry Nowak says they face a "life sentence of grief" after the Court of Appeal increased the minimum prison term for his killer, the Evening Standard reports.
Vickrum Digwa, who fatally stabbed 18-year-old Nowak in Southampton on 3 December, had his minimum term raised from 21 to 25 years on Thursday — after three senior judges found the original sentence "unduly lenient".
Digwa filmed Nowak as he lay dying and falsely accused him of making racist remarks against him. He had been jailed for life in March following a sentencing hearing at Southampton Crown Court.
Members of the Nowak family attended the Court of Appeal hearing in London, with some wiping their eyes as the ruling was handed down.
In a statement released afterwards, the family said the decision "represents an important step towards justice for Henry and our family", but added that no sentence "can ever give Henry his life back".
"He had his entire future ahead of him, a future that was so cruelly and needlessly stolen from him," the statement read.
"We have been given a life sentence of grief. There is no appeal for us, no reduction in our suffering and no prospect of ever getting our son back."
The family also said their "fight for justice is far from over", welcoming the recent announcement of an independent rapid review as "the first piece of good news we've had since Henry's murder".
That review was announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and is led by former lord chancellor Alex Chalk. It will examine the circumstances of Nowak's murder and any missed opportunities to intervene.
'Incomprehensible cruelty'
The Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting with Mr Justice Nicklin and Mr Justice Wall, ruled that Judge William Mousley KC's original 21-year minimum term "did not adequately reflect the overall seriousness of the murder" and was "not only lenient, but unduly so".
Baroness Carr said Judge Mousley's assessment had "materially understated two distinct dimensions of the offending".
"First, the circumstances in which a large and immediately available dagger was used repeatedly with an intention to kill an unarmed man," she said. "And secondly, the deliberate cruelty, additional suffering and obstruction which followed the stabbing."
The court heard that at the time of the killing, Digwa had two bladed weapons on him. One was a kirpan — a small knife that observant Sikhs are required to carry at all times and may legally carry in public for religious purposes. The other was a "large dagger in a sheath", 21 centimetres long, which Digwa carried as a member of the Nihang, an order of Sikhs with a tradition of bearing a second blade.
Baroness Carr described Digwa's decision to film the aftermath of the stabbing as an act of "incomprehensible cruelty" towards Nowak, who was "unarmed and defenceless" when he died.
Digwa, who appeared at the hearing via videolink, had also sought to have his sentence reduced, but that bid was dismissed. Baroness Carr ruled it was "unarguable" that the minimum term was excessive.
Attorney General welcomes ruling
Attorney General Ellie Reeves, who referred the case to the Court of Appeal, welcomed the outcome.
"The brutality and cruelty of this case horrified me, and I know that feeling is shared by the British public," Reeves said. "My thoughts remain with Henry's family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. 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."
The 25-year minimum term will be reduced by 175 days to reflect the time Digwa spent on remand before being jailed on 1 June. He will now serve at least 24 years and 190 days.
Nowak's killing prompted widespread unrest after police body-worn camera footage was released showing officers handcuffing him as he lay dying — the result, police said, of Digwa's false claims of racial abuse. The case has since triggered multiple reviews into the handling of the incident.
Source: Evening Standard