The Solicitor General 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 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
- 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
