Henry Nowak's killer's mother may be freed early and face deportation

Sentence and early release

Kiran Kaur, a 53-year-old woman, was sentenced in July 2026 at Southampton Crown Court to three years in prison for helping her son after he killed Henry Nowak. She carried the knife he had used back to the family home and then placed it among a larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in his bedroom. Sentencing her, Judge William Mousley KC said that approach had helped to hide what the blade was used for.

A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encourage them to do the right thing.

ITV News and Sky News report that Kaur could be freed around the anniversary of Nowak's death on 3 December, roughly a year after her sentencing. The early release programme is meant to ease overcrowding in prisons. Released prisoners do not regain full freedom, since they serve the rest of their term under supervision, and the Ministry of Justice says they generally must wear an electronic tag.

The killing in Southampton

Vickrum Digwa killed Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old university student and British student of Polish descent, in Southampton on 3 December 2025 using a knife with a 21 cm blade. Afterwards Digwa lied to officers, falsely claiming that Nowak had racially abused him. On 1 June 2026 Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years, meaning he can apply for release only after serving that period.

Nowak was handcuffed by police after they arrived, and although he asked for help, he did not receive it straight away. The case has become a focus of scrutiny because of the officers' conduct at the scene, not only the actions of the attacker and his mother.

Deportation and appeals

The Home Office has suggested that Kaur, who holds Indian nationality, could be removed from Britain once her sentence ends. The department declined to comment on individual cases but issued a general statement about foreign offenders.

We will always seek to deport foreign criminals at the first opportunity.

Ellie Reeves, the deputy to the Attorney General for England and Wales, has appealed the length of Digwa's sentence, asking the court to check whether it was too lenient. Digwa has lodged an appeal of his own. According to The Independent, Kaur is also appealing against her sentence, and a hearing is scheduled at the Court of Appeal for 5 November 2026.

Police conduct under investigation

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is examining the conduct of two officers who took part in arresting Nowak. Its inquiry will establish whether they committed gross misconduct. TVP Info reports that one officer dismissed Nowak's claim that he was injured, an account that the investigation will need to weigh alongside the other evidence.

Wider early release scheme

About 5,000 prisoners are scheduled to be released in stages over the next year, a figure reduced from 6,000 after ministers exempted rapists and the most serious child sex offenders from the expanded scheme. Ministers argue the expansion is needed to stop the justice system from collapsing, after a summer in which the issue dominated headlines. Around 650 prisoners were released from prisons across the country in the week before 15 October 2026, less than two weeks after 700 were set free early.