The man convicted of murdering Southampton teenager Henry Nowak has been transferred to one of Britain’s highest-security prisons, as pressure grows over the length of his sentence and scrutiny continues over the police handling of the case.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, has been moved from HMP Winchester to HMP Frankland in County Durham, a Category A prison that houses some of the country’s most notorious offenders, including serial killer Levi Bellfield and former Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens, who was convicted of the rape and murder of Sarah Everard.
The move comes only months after Ian Huntley, the Soham murderer, was fatally assaulted at the same prison in February. Another inmate has since been charged with his murder.
Digwa was earlier this month sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years after being found guilty of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak, a first-year Southampton University student, in the city centre last December. Prosecutors said Digwa, armed with a ceremonial dagger, pursued Nowak before stabbing him six times, including inflicting a deep wound to the chest.
The court heard that Digwa and Nowak were strangers. After the attack, Digwa falsely told officers at the scene that he had been subjected to racist abuse, assaulted and had his turban knocked off. Those claims were rejected during the trial.
In one of the most disturbing aspects of the case, Nowak was arrested by police as he lay gravely injured, handcuffed on the pavement after Digwa presented himself as the victim. Body-worn camera footage later released to the public showed the student repeatedly telling officers that he could not breathe. He died shortly afterwards in custody.
The case has prompted widespread anger, not only because of the killing itself but because of the treatment of Nowak in his final moments. His family have said he died alone, handcuffed and wrongly suspected, despite having suffered catastrophic injuries.
Digwa used a ceremonial knife with a 21cm blade, which he claimed he carried as part of his Sikh faith. The court was told he had previously come to the attention of police in 2023 over allegations that ceremonial blades had been stolen from a Sikh temple in Southampton, though no further action was taken at the time.
Passing sentence at Southampton crown court, Judge William Mousley rejected Digwa’s account that Nowak had made racist remarks. Addressing the defendant, the judge said he was sure Henry “said nothing racist”, adding that Digwa was the only person to make such a claim and that it was entirely inconsistent with the victim’s character.
Digwa’s sentence has now been referred to the court of appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The solicitor general, Ellie Reeves KC, confirmed that she had asked the court to reconsider the term imposed.
“This case horrified me, and I know that feeling is shared by the British public,” Reeves said. “It is right that difficult questions need to be answered about the way the police handled Henry Nowak’s murder, while my role is to review Digwa’s sentence for his crimes.
“After careful consideration, I have taken the decision to refer this case to the court of appeal.
“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.”
Reports have suggested Digwa is being closely monitored at Frankland, both because of concerns for his own safety and because of the risk of self-harm. According to prison sources quoted in the national press, he has already been threatened by other inmates and is said to be reluctant to leave his cell.
Frankland has long held some of the country’s most dangerous prisoners and has a reputation as one of the most forbidding institutions in the prison estate. Digwa’s arrival there marks the latest development in a case that has raised serious questions not only about a brutal and apparently motiveless killing, but about the failures that followed it.
For Henry Nowak’s family, however, the central issue remains unchanged: that an 18-year-old student was stabbed in the street, denied immediate recognition as a victim, and died while those who should have been helping him treated him as a suspect.
