Henry Novak and Vikrum Singh Dhigoa
Sikh man Vikram Singh Dhigwa, who was convicted of murdering 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak, is seeking to appeal his conviction and life sentence, the Court of Appeal has confirmed.Degoa was sentenced in June to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years after stabbing Nowak in Southampton on December 3 last year.His sentence is already set to be reviewed after Solicitor General Eli Reeves referred it to the Court of Appeal, arguing that the minimum sentence of 21 years may be “unnecessarily lenient”.No date has yet been set for Degoa’s appeal or a hearing on whether his sentence should be increased, and the reasons for his appeal have not been revealed.
Murder, false allegations and their consequences
According to prosecutors, Degua stabbed Nowak to death before falsely claiming to police that he himself was the victim of a racist attack.Degoa was also convicted of carrying a knife in public. His mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was convicted of assisting a criminal after trying to hide the knife used in the attack. She is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.At Degois’ sentencing, Henry Nowak’s father, Mark Nowak, described the discrepancy between the treatment of his son and his killer as “unbearable.”
The bodycam footage sparked national outrage
The case drew widespread attention after police body-worn camera footage was released showing officers handcuffing him as he lay seriously injured, despite his repeated pleas that he had been stabbed and couldn’t breathe.
Moments after the attack, Degoa allegedly claimed he had been subjected to racist abuse and assault. When officers arrived, they handcuffed Nowak rather than immediately rendering medical aid.Publication of the footage, followed by DeGoa’s murder conviction and protests across the country, turned the case into a national flashpoint over police, race and public trust.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer later said there were “serious questions” that needed to be answered about the police response to the incident.
Police officers conducting the investigation
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating two officers for possible serious misconduct in their handling of the incident.The watchdog is investigating whether officers failed to recognize Nowak’s urgent medical needs, ignored his repeated claims that he had been stabbed, and wrongly chose to arrest and handcuff him rather than administer first aid.An officer is also being investigated over allegations that Nowak’s claim that he was stabbed was dismissed.The IOPC is also investigating whether race or religion influenced the officers’ decision-making during the incident.The release of body camera footage sparked protests in Southampton in early June. The demonstrations escalated into chaos, resulting in the injury of 12 police officers and a police dog. Since then seventeen people have been imprisoned for their involvement in the unrest.In the wake of the unrest, leaders of Southampton’s Sikh community called for calm, with the Southampton Gurdwaras condemning Digoa’s actions and stressing that violence should never be tolerated.