Overview
- The Court of Appeal heard both Vickrum Digwa’s bid to reduce his life sentence and Attorney General Ellie Reeves’s referral seeking a longer minimum term on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with a judgment expected the same day.
- The Attorney General’s written submissions said Digwa repeatedly used a large ceremonial blade, filmed the dying victim, made a false racial allegation and tried to pervert the course of justice, and argued those factors warrant a longer minimum term.
- Digwa is separately seeking permission to challenge his conviction and that application remains pending before the courts, meaning two distinct legal processes are active at once.
- Police body-worn footage showing officers handcuffing Henry Nowak as he lay dying sparked public unrest and has prompted independent probes by the IOPC and HMICFRS and an independent review ordered by the Home Secretary.
- Digwa’s mother Kiran Kaur was jailed for assisting an offender and is expected to be freed after roughly one year under the Sentencing Act 2026 early-release rules, a prospect Henry Nowak’s family say is cruel and has intensified debate over the new policy.