Henry Nowak’s killer has reportedly been transferred to the same high-security prison where Ian Huntley was later killed, and is said to be “cowering in his cell”.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was moved this week from HMP Winchester to HMP Frankland in Durham, a Category A jail often referred to as “Monster Mansion” due to the number of notorious inmates held there. Among those housed at the prison are Levi Bellfield, who murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, and former police officer Wayne Couzens, who killed Sarah Everard. It is also the prison where Soham murderer Ian Huntley was fatally attacked, with Anthony Russell, 44, charged in connection with that killing but not yet entering a plea.
A source told The Sun that Digwa is keeping to himself and avoiding other prisoners, saying he is “cowering in his cell” and unwilling to mix on the wings.
“He’s already had threats and knows exactly what happened to Huntley,” the source claimed. “He’s in a very bad place and he knows it — though nobody is sympathetic.”
Digwa, a Sikh British national, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years after stabbing Mr Nowak with a ceremonial knife he said he carried for religious reasons.
He had accused Mr Nowak of a racist assault, a claim that led to the 18-year-old student being restrained by police while fatally injured outside a property in Southampton, Hampshire.
The case triggered public anger and protests, with questions raised about whether police initially failed to believe Mr Nowak when he said he had been stabbed because he was white.
On June 15, Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC confirmed she has referred Digwa’s sentence under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
She said the case had caused widespread shock and that serious questions needed to be addressed over how police handled the incident, adding that she had decided to send the sentence to the Court of Appeal after careful consideration.
She also said no sentence could ever make up for the loss suffered by Mr Nowak’s family, but hoped the move would help deliver a sense of justice.
An inquest into Mr Nowak’s death is set for September 20 next year, and will examine whether any police action or failure contributed to his death. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is expected to publish its findings within the next three months.
