Vickrum Digwa, the 23-year-old convicted of murdering teenager Henry Nowak has applied to the Court of Appeal to have his conviction quashed or his sentence reduced. Digwa was jailed for life last month at Southampton Crown Court with a minimum term of 21 years after he killed the 18-year-old finance student in December. The pair were strangers.
Digwa claimed Mr Nowak had shouted racist abuse, punched him and knocked off his turban — allegations the trial judge dismissed as lies. Mr Nowak was arrested as he lay covered in his own blood and died alone and handcuffed in police custody. Widespread public outrage followed the release of harrowing bodycam footage showing the dying student repeatedly telling officers “I can’t breathe”.
Now Digwa has lodged an application for leave to appeal against both his conviction and sentence, the Court of Appeal has confirmed. A judge will first decide whether to grant him permission for a full hearing before three judges in the Criminal Division.
The move comes despite the Solicitor General, Ellie Reeves KC, referring the original 21-year minimum term to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. The court has already noted the case was referred as potentially unduly lenient.
Express.co.uk has contacted the court for comment.
The Mirror reported that Digwa, who carried a Sikh ceremonial knife with a 21cm blade, had been investigated by police in 2023 over the suspected theft of ceremonial blades from a Southampton temple, but no further action was taken.
Passing sentence, Judge William Mousley rejected any suggestion of racism by the victim. He said: “I am sure that Henry said nothing racist. You are the only person to make that claim and it is completely at odds with his previous character.”
Mr Nowak’s family described him as a “kind and talented” young man.
Ellie Reeves KC described the case as “horrifying” and said the British public shared that view. In her referral, she added: “It is right that difficult questions need to be answered about the way the police handled Henry Nowak’s murder… No sentence can ever undo the devastation that Henry’s family have suffered, or fill the void left by his loss. But I hope this referral goes some way towards bringing them the justice they deserve.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously said he “felt sick” watching the footage of Mr Nowak being handcuffed while fatally injured and that there were “serious questions” to answer.
Further controversy surrounds Digwa’s brother, Gurpreet, who called 999 claiming they had been “racially attacked by some white person”. He watched as police handcuffed the dying Henry.
Hampshire Police decided not to refer him to the Crown Prosecution Service for charges, however an online petition has since called for his reinvestigation.
The developments have intensified scrutiny over both the original sentencing and the police response to the killing of the University of Southampton student.
The Court of Appeal’s decision on whether to allow Digwa’s appeal is awaited.