Full Breakdown
Mother of Henry Nowak’s Killer Faces Early Release and Possible Deportation
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event – Sentencing and Early-Release Prospects
Kiran Kaur, 53, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for assisting an offender after she removed the knife used by her son, Vickrum Digwa, from the scene of the December 3, 2025 stabbing of 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak in Southampton. Under the Government’s early-release scheme, Kaur is expected to serve less than half of that term and could be released around the first anniversary of Nowak’s death. The Home Office has signalled that, as an Indian national, she may also be eligible for the UK’s deportation scheme for foreign criminals.
Background & Context – Murder and Son’s Conviction
On the night of December 3, 2025, Digwa, then 23, stabbed Nowak on Belmont Road as the student walked home from a night out. Digwa later claimed the attack was a response to racial abuse, a defence rejected by the jury. He was convicted of murder and of carrying a 21 cm ceremonial knife in public, and on June 1 he received a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years.
Timeline
- December 3, 2025 – Henry Nowak is fatally stabbed; Digwa later claims racial abuse.
- July 2025 – Kaur is sentenced at Southampton Crown Court to three years for assisting an offender.
- June 1, 2025 – Digwa is sentenced to life imprisonment, minimum 21 years.
- November 5 – Kaur’s appeal against her sentence is scheduled at the Court of Appeal; Digwa will also appear to challenge his sentence and the Attorney General will argue the term is unduly lenient.
Data & Statistics
- Kaur’s three-year term means she would need to serve 18 months to reach the halfway point; the early-release scheme would allow release after roughly nine months.
- The scheme is set to free about 5,000 prisoners over the next year, down from 6,000 after ministers excluded rapists and the most serious child-sex offenders.
- In the week preceding the article, 650 prisoners were released early, following a release of 700 prisoners two weeks earlier.
Official Statements & Responses
It also expressed sympathy for the victim’s family, noting that “our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Henry Nowak, whose life was cruelly cut short in a horrific act of violence.”
Verbatim Quotes
What’s Next – Appeal Hearings
Both Kiran Kaur and Vickrum Digwa are due before the Court of Appeal on November 5. Kaur will seek to overturn her three-year sentence, while Digwa will contest the length of his minimum term and the Attorney General will argue that the 21-year minimum is too lenient. The outcomes of these hearings will determine whether Kaur’s early release proceeds as expected and whether any deportation order is ultimately issued.