UK appeal court to review sentence in contentious Nowak murder case

LONDON (AFP) — A British Sikh man jailed for murdering a young white student could have his sentence increased after the government Monday asked the appeals court to review it as too lenient.

The contentious, high-profile case has sparked a furor — and violent skirmishes — in Britain after police handcuffed the dying student, Henry Nowak, after his attacker, Vickrum Digwa, falsely claimed he had been racially abused.

It has become a rallying point for right-wing and far-right figures, even beyond Britain, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and newly-minted trillionaire Elon Musk among those to condemn U.K. authorities’ handling of the case.

Solicitor General Ellie Reeves said she had formally requested the 21-year jail term given to Digwa earlier this month be reconsidered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

“This case horrified me, and I know that feeling is shared by the British public,” Reeves said in a statement, adding she had made the referral after “careful consideration.”

“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,” she said.

The sentence scheme allows anyone to ask the attorney general’s office to review certain sentences if they think they are overly lenient.

An assessment is conducted by the attorney general or solicitor general — U.K. government law officers — who can then ask the Court of Appeal to review it.

The court will decide whether to quash it and replace it with a more appropriate sentence.

After a jury at Southampton Crown Court last month found Digwa guilty of murder, the judge in the case sentenced him to life in prison on June 1 with an obligation to spend at least 21 years in jail.

Nowak, 18, a finance and accounting university student, was handcuffed by police as he lay wounded after being stabbed by Digwa in the southern city of Southampton in December. He died from the stab wounds soon after.

Digwa lied at the scene and told police he was the victim as Nowak had racially insulted him.

The police force involved has since apologized for handcuffing Nowak, and the policing watchdog is probing the case.

Far-right figures have claimed the officers’ initial response is evidence that police forces treat white people and ethnic minorities differently.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and others in his center-left Labour government have vehemently denied the accusation.

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By Agence France-Presse