The Attorney General is bidding to increase the sentence

Vickrum Digwa’s bid to reduce the length of his life sentence for the murder of Henry Nowak is set to be heard at the Court of Appeal on Thursday, as well as the Attorney General’s bid to increase it.

Digwa was jailed for at least 21 years in June after fatally stabbing 18-year-old Mr Nowak in Southampton on December 3 last year with a ceremonial knife which had a 21cm blade.

Grab from body-worn video issued by Hampshire Police of Vickrum Digwa lying to officers that he had been "racially attacked" by student Henry Nowak.

placeholder image — Grab from body-worn video issued by Hampshire Police of Vickrum Digwa lying to officers that he had been "racially attacked" by student Henry Nowak.

The killing sparked unrest when police body-worn video was released showing officers handcuffing Mr Nowak, from Chafford Hundred, Essex, as he lay dying after Digwa falsely told officers that the teenager had racially abused him.

Digwa, 23, is now appealing against the length of his sentence as “manifestly excessive”.

But the Attorney General, Ellie Reeves, has also referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal as “unduly lenient”, with three senior judges set to hear both bids to change the sentence on Thursday.

The hearing before the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Mr Justice Nicklin and Mr Justice Wall is due to begin at 10am at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced last month that an independent review led by former lord chancellor Alex Chalk would examine Mr Nowak’s murder, including “any missed opportunities to intervene”.

Several investigations have also been launched into Hampshire Police’s handling of the killing since Digwa was sentenced.

Henry Nowak died last December (Hampshire Police/PA)

In August, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services opened an investigation into the force following a request by Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones.

The commissioner said the inspection would cover the “end-to-end process” from call-handling in the control room, dispatch and initial attendance at incidents of serious violence.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct launched an investigation in July into two officers for potential gross misconduct over their interactions with Mr Nowak on the night he was stabbed.

The watchdog is also examining whether race or religion contributed to the officers’ decision-making.

Digwa is also separately seeking to overturn his conviction, but a decision has yet to be made on whether to allow that challenge to go ahead.