UK attorney general to review 21-year sentence in Henry Nowak stabbing case

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life with a 21-year minimum for stabbing 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton. The attorney general's office has received multiple requests to review the sentence.

UK attorney general considers unduly lenient sentence review in Southampton stabbing

The UK attorney general's office is weighing whether to challenge the 21-year minimum sentence handed to a man convicted of stabbing a teenager to death in Southampton, National Post Crime reports, after receiving what it described as "multiple requests" under Britain's unduly lenient sentence (ULS) scheme.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced on Monday at Southampton Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years for the murder of Henry Nowak, 18, who was stabbed five times with a religious blade on Dec. 3, 2025.

"We have received multiple requests for Vickrum Digwa's sentence to be considered under the unduly lenient sentence scheme," a spokesperson for the attorney general's office said in a statement. "The law officers have 28 days from sentencing to carefully consider the case and make a decision."

Body-cam footage prompts widespread reaction

The case drew national attention after body-worn police camera footage — released publicly with the consent of Nowak's family — showed the fatally injured teenager telling officers repeatedly that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. An officer responded, "Don't think you have, mate," before handcuffing Nowak and reading him his rights. Nowak became unresponsive. The footage runs three minutes. He had sustained five stab wounds, including two to the back of his legs and a fatal wound to the chest.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he "felt sick" watching the "harrowing" footage, describing Nowak as a "kind, thoughtful and much loved young man" whose loss was "devastating" for those close to him.

Nowak's father, Mark, said his son told officers nine times that he could not breathe and informed them four times that he had been stabbed. "Henry was pulled across the gravel, his hands forced behind his back and he was placed in handcuffs," Mark Nowak said. He has called on the government to treat knife crime as a "national emergency."

The family has described his treatment by responding officers as "inhumane and degrading."

Hampshire Police apologised to Nowak's family for arresting the fatally injured teenager and referred the matter to England's police watchdog. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found no evidence of misconduct by the officers involved, though it said its investigation was ongoing.

"We are reviewing a large amount of police body-worn footage, which we need to consider in context with other evidence we have obtained," said IOPC director Derrick Campbell. Some responding officers have since resigned, while others remain on duty, according to reporting by the Telegraph.

Racism claim rejected at trial

Digwa, who is Sikh, told police that Nowak had racially abused him, knocked his turban off and grabbed him by the hair. Prosecutors called the allegation a "wicked lie" and said Digwa also deceived officers at the scene by denying he had stabbed Nowak.

Sentencing judge William Mousley KC gave the racism claim no credence. "You are the only person to make that claim and it is completely at odds with his previous character," Mousley said. The judge added that Digwa had brought shame to his family, his community and his religion.

"Your actions have stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country, which have made many Sikhs worried about their safety," Mousley said.

Kirpan law at centre of case

While UK law permits practising Sikhs to carry a small curved ceremonial blade known as a kirpan, Digwa was found to be carrying a larger second blade worn in a sheath. According to the BBC, Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was convicted of assisting an offender after taking the knife away to conceal it following the attack.

The Sikh Federation issued a statement clarifying the legal protections around the kirpan. "We want to make absolutely clear the law only provides fully practising Sikhs with a defence under the law to wear a kirpan for religious reasons," the statement read. "If a kirpan or a bladed item is used aggressively in an act of violence the defence under the law for a kirpan does not apply and it is deemed an offensive weapon."

The federation added that the weapon used in this case "may not have been the normal kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs" and that "this nuance is critically important."

Sentencing guidelines applied by Mousley stipulate a mandatory minimum of 25 years where a knife is taken to the scene with intent to commit a crime. The judge determined that standard did not apply here, noting it was "possible that Digwa had a good legal reason for having the dagger" before he drew it from its sheath.

Political fallout

The case has prompted sharp exchanges among UK politicians. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage used the sentencing to assert there was a "two-tier Britain where the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch rejected that framing on Good Morning Britain. "That's not how we solve this," she said, according to ITV. "We can't solve it by whipping people up. We can't solve it by making them angry."

The attorney general's office has not indicated when it will announce a decision on whether to refer the sentence for review.

Source: National Post Crime