Vickrum Digwa, who murdered 18-year-old student Henry Nowak in Southampton in December 2025, has been granted permission to appeal against the length of his sentence. Digwa was jailed for life in June with a minimum term of 21 years.
The Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear the challenge to the sentence length on 5 November. The court will also consider a referral from the Attorney General's office, which has argued that the original sentence was too lenient.
Digwa has also applied to appeal against his murder conviction, which will be decided separately. He was also sentenced for possessing a knife in public, despite claiming the 21cm blade was part of his Sikh faith.
The case previously led to protests after police body-worn footage was released, showing officers failing to provide first aid to Nowak and instead handcuffing him as he was dying. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating two officers for potential gross misconduct.
More than 30 people have been charged with violent disorder following protests in Southampton on 2 June, during which 12 police officers and a police dog were injured. Sikh leaders have reported an increase in "hate crime" against their community following the case.