Issued by: Attorney Generals Office

The Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC has referred the sentence of Vickrum Digwa, convicted of the murder of Henry Nowak, to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC has referred the sentence of Vickrum Digwa, convicted of the murder of Henry Nowak, to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The Court of Appeal will now decide whether the sentence imposed was unduly lenient, and whether to increase the existing sentence.

The Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP says:

"This case horrified me, and I know that feeling is shared by the British public. It is right that difficult questions need to be answered about the way the police handled Henry’s 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."

Notes for Editors

• Anyone can ask for a Crown Court sentence to be reviewed if they think it’s too low.

• The Law Officers can review sentences given by the Crown Court in England and Wales if they’re asked to. The Law Officers have 28 days from sentencing to carefully consider the case and make a decision

• By law only certain types of case can be reviewed, such as murder, manslaughter and rape

• Victims and their bereaved families will have up to six months in the interests of justice to ask for a sentence to be reconsidered - rather than being strictly limited to 28 days: Victims and bereaved get more time to challenge lenient sentences - GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/victims-and-bereaved-get-more-time-to-challenge-lenient-sentences]

• More information on the ULS scheme, including who can refer and for what reasons, can be found on our website: Ask for a Crown Court sentence to be reviewed - GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/ask-crown-court-sentence-review]

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