Killer's minimum term raised to 25 years as mother faces early release

Vickrum Digwa, the killer of university student Henry Nowak, had his minimum life sentence increased to 25 years by the Court of Appeal today. According to Sky News ^[2], the judges rejected Digwa’s bid to reduce his term while simultaneously granting the Attorney General’s appeal that the original sentence was unduly lenient. The ruling comes as Henry’s family expressed outrage over the impending early release of Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, under government reforms.

The three senior judges, led by Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, described Digwa’s actions after the stabbing as showing "incomprehensible cruelty". As reported by Metro ^[3], Digwa filmed the dying teenager, zooming in on Henry’s face and verbally gloating, which added significant distress and degradation to the crime. The original 21-year minimum term, imposed in June, was deemed to fall outside the range reasonably open to the sentencing judge.

While Digwa’s sentence was strengthened, his mother’s fate has caused fresh pain for the Nowak family. Kiran Kaur, who was jailed for assisting an offender by hiding the murder weapon, is expected to be released early next month. The Daily Mail ^[1] reported that Henry’s father, Mark Nowak, called the timing "an absolute disgrace", noting she will be free for Christmas while his son remains in the grave. Under the Sentencing Act 2026, Kaur qualifies for automatic release after serving one-third of her three-year sentence.

The case has also triggered multiple investigations into Hampshire Police. An HMIC inspection is examining the force’s end-to-end handling of the incident, while the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating two officers for potential gross misconduct. As noted by the BBC ^[4], the Court of Appeal ruled that Digwa’s original term was too lenient, refusing his challenge to have it cut.

Henry’s stepmother, Katie Nowak, told ITV that the legal battles feel like "another fight" the family must endure. The family hopes the increased sentence and ongoing reviews will bring some measure of justice, though they remain critical of the early release scheme. Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that results from the government review into the case’s handling must be seen before further action is taken.