Henry Nowak’s parents slam killer’s appeal against sentence and call his mother’s early release ‘an absolute disgrace’

The family of Henry Nowak has slammed his killer's bid to appeal his sentence and branded the possible early release of his mother "an absolute disgrace". Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years after he had stabbed the student, 18, to death and then lied to the police about being racially abused in December last year. The killer has launched a bid to the Court of Appeals to appeal his sentence, which he argues is too severe for his crime. The Government, meanwhile, has asked for a review as to whether the sentence handed down by the judge was unduly lenient. On Thursday, judges will determine whether either challenge may proceed and consider any arguments put forward should they do so. Digwa's appeal comes amid fury his mother, Kiran Kaur, may be released as early as December having served less than half of her three years behind bars. Kaur received the sentence for disposing of the weapon used to kill Henry in the aftermath of the crime. Speaking to ITV News, Henry's stepmother Katie said Digwa's appeal "just doesn't feel fair to us". She said: "It's another process that we've got to go through. It's another fight that we have to have. "It was a very clear verdict. It's not right that he's allowed to do this." Describing Kaur as "no mother", Henry's mother Lucy Ross said: "We all protect our children, but we also protect our children from right and wrong. "But she never did the right thing. She hid the knife, which had Henry's blood on it." LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Speaking about her possible release from prison next, Ms Ross said her release coinciding with the anniversary of Henry's death felt "particularly cruel". She said: "As soon as she gets out, she could arrange a visiting order to go see (Digwa)." "She's lucky enough that she could go and see her boy. I have to go to Henry's grave to see Henry." Henry's father, Mark Nowak, branded her potential release "an absolute disgrace". He added: "She'll be out in December of this year having received a three-year sentence. How on earth can that be right?" "She'll be out for Christmas, and I won't have Christmas with Henry." Last month, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced she will launch an independent review into Henry's murder. Ms Mahmood confirmed ex-Justice Secretary Alex Chalk will lead the urgent probe amid concerns about Hampshire Police's conduct. GB News understands the first phase of the independent review will consider the treatment given to the Nowak family by agencies across the criminal justice system following Henry’s death. The second phase will follow a separate probe conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct into the actions of police officers who attended the scene. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter Follow related topics: