Vickrum Digwa, who was jailed for life for the murder of university student Henry Nowak, is seeking to appeal against his conviction and sentence, the Court of Appeal has confirmed.
Digwa was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years behind bars last month after fatally stabbing 18-year-old Mr Nowak in Southampton on 3 December last year.
The sentence was referred to the Court of Appeal as “unduly lenient” by the Solicitor General, Ellie Reeves, in June.
But on Friday, the Court of Appeal announced that Digwa is aiming to appeal against his conviction and sentence.
No date for the hearing of the appeal or the bid to increase the sentence has been set, with no details provided about Digwa’s challenge.
After stabbing Mr Nowak last year, Digwa lied to police that he was the victim of a racist attack.
The case later sparked protests after police body-worn footage was released showing officers failing to give him first aid and instead handcuffing him as he lay dying, despite him telling officers he could not breathe.
When Digwa was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court, Mr Nowak’s father Mark Nowak said the difference between the way the killer and his son were treated was “unbearable”.
A day later, Sir Keir Starmer said that there were “serious questions” to answer about the case. Starmer went on to speak Nowak’s family in Downing Street, and said after the meeting: “Henry deserves a legacy that goes beyond this awful tragedy, and I am committed to making that happen.
“I am determined that we do everything in our power to prevent other families from suffering such a devastating loss.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said on Wednesday that it is investigating two officers for potential gross misconduct, including potential failures to realise that Mr Nowak needed urgent medical attention, to take action when he said he had been stabbed and could not breathe, and the decision to arrest and handcuff him instead of providing first aid.
One of the officers is also under investigation for potentially breaching conduct standards by dismissing the teenager’s claim that he had been stabbed.
The watchdog is also looking at whether race or religion played a part in the officers’ decision-making.
