Henry Nowak's killer given permission to appeal sentence
Vickrum Digwa been granted permission to appeal against the length of his sentence at the Court of Appeal on November 5
Henry Nowak's killer has been given permission to appeal to get his sentence reduced.
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Vickrum Digwa was jailed for at least 21 years in June after fatally stabbing 18-year-old Henry Nowak as he was walking home from a night out in Southampton in December.
He has now been granted permission to appeal against the length of that sentence at the Court of Appeal on November 5.
Attorney General Ellie Reeves has also referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal as “unduly lenient”. Judges will decide whether his sentence should be increased.
Digwa’s bid to overturn his conviction is being dealt with separately, with a decision yet to be made on whether to allow that challenge to go ahead.
Read more: Henry Nowak’s killer Vickrum Digwa 'applies to have murder conviction quashed and sentence reduced'
Digwa has also requested to appeal against his conviction for murder, which will be managed separately.
Mr Nowak’s murder sparked protests and violence after police body-worn video was released showing officers handcuffing the teenager, from Chafford Hundred, Essex, moments before he collapsed and became unconscious.
Digwa had lied to police after the stabbing, claiming that he was the victim of a racist attack.
Last month, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said it had begun an inspection of Hampshire Police, following a request by Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones.
The commissioner said the inspection would cover the “end-to-end process” from call-handling in the control room, dispatch and initial attendance at incidents of serious violence.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct previously launched an investigation in July into two officers for potential gross misconduct over their interactions with Mr Nowak on the night he was stabbed.
The watchdog is also examining whether race or religion played a part in the officers’ decision-making.