Sikh man Vickrum Singh Digwa, who was convicted of murdering 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak, is seeking to appeal both his conviction and his life sentence, the Court of Appeal has confirmed.
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Digwa was sentenced in June to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years after fatally stabbing Nowak in Southampton on December 3 last year.
His sentence is already due to be reviewed after Solicitor General Ellie Reeves referred it to the Court of Appeal, arguing that the 21-year minimum term may be "unduly lenient".
No date has yet been fixed for either Digwa's appeal or the hearing on whether his sentence should be increased, and the grounds of his appeal have not been disclosed.
Murder, false claims and aftermath
According to prosecutors, Digwa fatally stabbed Nowak before falsely claiming to police that he had himself been the victim of a racist attack.
Digwa was also convicted of carrying a knife in public. His mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty of assisting an offender after attempting to conceal the knife used in the attack. She is due to be sentenced later this month.
At Digwa's sentencing, Henry Nowak's father, Mark Nowak, described the contrast between the treatment of his son and his killer as "unbearable".
Bodycam footage sparked national outrage
The case drew widespread attention after police body-worn camera footage was released showing officers handcuffing Nowak as he lay critically injured, despite his repeated pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe.
