Henry Nowak's killer launches bid to overturn murder conviction as taxpayers foot £150k legal bill

Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life after lying to police about being racially abused when he stabbed 18-year-old Henry Nowak last December

Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life after lying to police about being racially abused when he stabbed 18-year-old Henry Nowak last December

Henry Nowak's killer has launched a bid to overturn his murder conviction and reduce his sentence.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life after he had stabbed the 18-year-old student and then lied to the police about being racially abused in December last year.

It has since been revealed that Digwa and his mother, Kiran Kaur, who was convicted of assisting an offender, cost taxpayers an eyewatering £150,000 in legal aid.

Digwa was given £79,621 in Legal Aid, a Freedom of Information request submitted by The Sun has revealed.

This figure included £78,300 for the Crown Court trial, £1,100 for representation at Southampton police station and £137 for a warrant of further detention.

A further breakdown of the trial's costs, which started on May 14, found that £66,000 was spent on solicitors and £12,800 was spent on Jeremy Wainwright KC, the killer's barrister.

His mother's legal bill cost £75,542 for her trial, where she was found guilty of removing the murder weapon from the scene, with £65,000 spent on solicitors and £10,000 on barristers.

The total legal costs of the mother and son stand at £155,163.

Legal aid is Government-funded assistance with meeting the costs of lawyers and their advice.

It is paid directly to lawyers, rather than the defendants, and is a lever to ensure a fair trial is given to defendants who would otherwise not be able to pay for legal representation.

However, a source told the Sun the numbers are a "smack in the face".

They said: "It’s a smack in the face that Digwa gets this sort of funding behind him, potentially less than the payout Henry’s family could receive down the line.

"Henry’s family must be given the same privileges of a top KC for his inquest, and for any inquiry.

"How ironic would it be if an inquest into whether their boy was a victim of two-tier justice sparked another two-tier row?"

The figure might rise further as the Digwa and Kaur's lawyers finalise their bills from the trial.

Digwa will receive thousands more in funding as he appealed to have his murder conviction quashed and sentence reduced.

He made an application to the Court of Appeal in a bid to reduce his prison time.

However, Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC referred his case for review earlier this month under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, which means the killer's sentence can be increased.

An official from the Court of Appeal said: "This person has also recently lodged an application for leave to appeal conviction and sentence."

A judge will now decide whether Digwa should be given the chance to appeal his life sentence.

If approved, Digwa's case will be heard by three judges from the Court of Appeal Criminal Division.

The 18-year-old finance student was stabbed five times by Digwa using a Sikh ceremonial knife on December 3 last year.

Mr Nowak died in police custody after his killer accused him of being racist.

Digwa murdered the student with a 21cm knife, which the prosecution said was a kirpan he carried as part of his Sikh beliefs.