Henry Nowak's killer has had his sentence increased to 25 years at the Court of Appeal, after judges ruled he displayed 'incomprehensible cruelty' as he 'filmed and taunted' the student after stabbing him multiple times.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, 'repeatedly deployed' a ceremonial knife, which had an eight-inch blade, against 'unarmed and defenceless' Mr Nowak, 18, in Southampton on December 3.
As he lay dying, Digwa, who was a stranger to him, filmed him and lied to police that his victim had racially abused and attacked him. This saw Mr Nowak arrested before any medical attention was sought.
The killing later sparked unrest when police body-worn footage was released showing officers handcuffing Mr Nowak, from Chafford Hundred, Essex.
In the footage, which prompted huge protests, Mr Nowak could be heard repeatedly saying 'I've been stabbed' – to which an officer replied: 'Don't think you have, mate.'
Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years in June but his minimum term was today increased to 25 years.
In her remarks, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr highlighted how Digwa's behaviour after stabbing Mr Nowak had further degraded and humiliated him.
The footage, consisting of two separate videos, included zoomed-in, close up footage of Mr Nowak's face as he lay bleeding on the floor.
'Digwa at this stage was filming Henry as he lay bleeding, clearly deteriorating, though conscious,' Baroness Carr said.
'The filming included close up footage of Henry's face. All the while Digwa and his brother were loudly taunting Henry, calling him 'a f***ing c***', accusing him of being drunk, trying to make him sit up.'
She added that the filming whilst 'verbally gloating' was a 'deliberate act of degradation' and a mark of 'incomprehensible cruelty'.
Digwa's sentence had been referred to the court by Attorney General Ellie Reeves - as the killer simultaneously claimed the original term was 'manifestly excessive'. Today, his bid to appeal against his sentence was rejected.
Digwa is separately seeking to overturn his conviction, but a decision has yet to be made on whether that challenge can go ahead.
In a ruling on Thursday, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting with Mr Justice Nicklin and Mr Justice Wall, said it was 'unarguable' that the original sentence was too long, and found it should be increased as it 'fell outside the range reasonably open' to the sentencing judge.
She went on: 'A minimum term of 21 years did not adequately reflect the overall seriousness of the murder. It was not only lenient, but unduly so.'
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison for murdering Henry Nowak
Mr Nowak was stabbed in Southampton last December and then handcuffed as he lay dying
Police bodycam footage showed Digwa lying to police at the scene after stabbing Mr Nowak multiple times, insisting he was the victim
The judge also said the fact that Digwa, as a Sikh, was legally allowed to carry the knife 'does not reduce the seriousness of its subsequent lethal use' against Mr Nowak, whom she described as 'unarmed and otherwise defenceless'.
She continued that sentencing judge William Mousley KC 'identified many of the relevant features' of the case, but his 'overall assessment materially understated two distinct dimensions of the offending'.
She said: 'First, the circumstances in which a large and immediately available dagger was used repeatedly with an intention to kill an unarmed man; and secondly, the deliberate cruelty, additional suffering and obstruction which followed the stabbing.'
In a statement after the ruling, Mr Nowak's family said they face a 'lifetime of grief' but welcomed the decision to increase Digwa's sentence.
They added: 'This decision represents an important step towards justice for Henry and our family. But no sentence, however long, can ever give Henry his life back.
'Our son was just 18-years-old. He had his entire future ahead of him, a future that was so cruelly and needlessly stolen from him.
'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.
'While today's decision is welcome, our fight for justice is far from over. Last week's announcement of an Independent Rapid Review was the first piece of good news we've had since Henry's murder, and we will do everything we can to support Alex Chalk as he carries out his work.
'Meanwhile we will never give up our fight for the truth, accountability and meaningful change. Henry deserves nothing less.'
Following the ruling, Ms Reeves said: 'The brutality and cruelty of this case horrified me, and I know that feeling is shared by the British public.
'I welcome the Court of Appeal's decision to increase the minimum term of Digwa's life sentence.
Police bodycam footage showed how officers arrested fatally injured Mr Nowak as he gasped 'I've been stabbed'
'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.'
In written submissions on behalf of the Attorney General, Jonathan Polnay KC had earlier said that Digwa 'abused the privilege' afforded to Sikhs to carry a knife in a public place for religious reasons.
He said: 'The offender was carrying a substantial bladed weapon in public, immediately available for use, which he repeatedly deployed against an unarmed and defenceless stranger.
'He abused a statutory religious exemption permitting him to carry that weapon.'
Mr Polnay continued: 'There were significant additional aggravating factors: the offender's sustained attempts to pervert the course of justice, his false allegation of racism against the deceased, his procurement of his mother's assistance in concealing evidence, his degradation of the dying victim by filming him, and his conduct in misleading responders.
'The minimum term imposed failed adequately to reflect the combined weight of those features.'
The hearing was temporarily paused after about 15 minutes because a fire alarm sounded at the Royal Courts of Justice, prompting the building's evacuation.
Digwa watched proceedings from HMP Frankland in Co Durham, wearing a dark suit, shirt and tie.
Members of Mr Nowak's family attended the hearing in person, telling ITV before the hearing that Digwa being allowed to challenge his sentence did not feel right.
Mr Nowak's stepmother Katie Nowak said: 'It just doesn't feel fair to us at all.
'It's another process that we've got to go through. It's another fight that we have to have. It was a very clear verdict. It's not right that he's allowed to do this.'
At Digwa's sentencing hearing at Southampton Crown Court, Judge William Mousley KC said that on the night of the murder, Digwa had a small knife hidden from view called a kirpan, which is a strict requirement for Sikhs to have at all times.
Digwa also had a 'large dagger in a sheath', due to his membership of a Sikh order called the Nihang, who carry a second knife.
Judge Mousley said: 'The privilege extended to practising Sikhs of being allowed to be in public with a bladed article and, particularly in respect of the large dagger, a highly dangerous weapon, easily accessible to the wearer, brings with it huge responsibility.'
Mr Polnay told the court that the bid to increase the sentence 'is not about the lawful possession of a kirpan' and the laws allowing Sikhs to carry blades, adding: 'It is about what followed.'
He said that Digwa's use of the dagger was 'on at least one level, analogous to an abuse of trust'.
Henry Nowak's father Mark Nowak and stepmother Katie Nowak speak with ITV News UK editor Paul Brand in the new documentary 'Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice' which will air tonight
He continued: 'When a person who has the benefit of that accommodation uses the article protected by law for repeated lethal violence, that is an aggravating factor of particular weight.'
Imran Khan KC, for the defence, acknowledged that the law allowing Digwa to carry the knife 'plainly did not' allow him to use it to murder Mr Nowak.
However he maintained that Judge Mousley had 'already expressly aggravated (the sentence) for both the dangerous weapon and the abuse of religious privilege', as well as other factors.
Mr Khan added: 'There must be vigilance for using the same underlying facts repeatedly.'
He continued: 'Simply repeating the points and putting them into sub-headings does not make the argument any better.'
Mr Khan also said carrying a knife for religious reasons 'should not of itself' cause Sikh offenders to be given longer sentences.
Challenging the length of the sentence, Mr Khan said while Digwa's lies to first responders 'unquestionably affected the dignity with which Mr Nowak was treated', his wounds were not survivable.
'The false account therefore did not worsen the fatal injury or deprive Mr Nowak of the prospect of survival,' he said.
When the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr responded that it 'must have been terrifying for Henry', Mr Khan said: 'I accept that.'
Vickrum Digwa's mother Kiran Kaur was jailed for three years for assisting an offender, and could be released in a matter of weeks
Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, was sentenced to three years in prison in July for assisting an offender, after she hid the blade Digwa used to kill Mr Nowak.
But 53-year-old Kaur is expected to be freed at some point next month after serving just one year of her sentence, as part of the Government's early release scheme.
Mr Nowak's mother Lucy Ross told ITV: 'Mother to mother – she is no mother. We all protect our children, but we also protect our children from right and wrong. But she never did the right thing. She hid the knife, which had Henry's blood on it.'
The family said the timing of Kaur's upcoming release feels 'particularly cruel' to them, because the date is around the first anniversary of Mr Nowak's death.
Ms Ross added: 'As soon as she gets out, she could arrange a visiting order to go see [Digwa]. She's lucky enough that she could go and see her boy. I have to go to Henry's grave to see Henry.'
Mr Nowak's father, Mark Nowak, also said: 'It's an absolute disgrace. Let's be honest. She was convicted in May of this year. She'll be out in December of this year having received a three-year sentence.
'How on earth can that be right? She'll be out for Christmas, and I won't have Christmas with Henry.'
The family have called on the Government to rethink its decision to allow Kaur's early release – and the scheme as a whole.
Mrs Nowak said: 'I'd say that victims need to have far more weight and thought given to how they feel. Because throughout this whole process, it doesn't feel like anyone's on your side.'
The Sentencing Act 2026 means most inmates serving standard fixed-term sentences are now automatically let out on licence after a third of their term, rather than 40 per cent or half.
Kaur could serve the rest of her sentence in the community on licence.
When her sentence was imposed, the 221 days she had already spent on remand were taken into account.
