Releasing murderer Vickrum Digwa’s mother early would raise “very serious questions about the robustness of our criminal justice system”, a police commissioner has said.
Kiran Kaur was jailed for three years for removing the knife used by her son to kill finance student Henry Nowak from the crime scene.
She was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court in July for assisting an offender on the night of the murder on December 3 2025 by taking the weapon back to the nearby family home.
The Indian national may be eligible for the Government’s early release scheme which could see her freed around the anniversary of Mr Nowak’s death, according to reports.
Vickrum Digwa was jailed for murder (Hampshire Police/PA)
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Donna Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, told the BBC’s Today programme that “I don’t think it’s right that she is released” early.
She will therefore write to Justice Secretary Alex Norris today and request “clarity” in order that she can continue supporting the family “in an appropriate way”.
Releasing Kaur after serving a third of her sentence “is going to be a significant blow for Henry’s family”, she also told the programme, adding: “This is quite shocking.”
“She wasn’t even sentenced until July this year, which was just some three months ago, and here we are now talking about her potential release which, as I say, really does raise very serious questions about the robustness of our criminal justice system.”
It was put to Ms Jones that, unlike some early releases, Kaur is unlikely to reoffend and it would be unfair to make an exception in this case.
The commissioner responded: “I suppose someone could form that argument.
“The other reason that we have early release in this country is because of prison overcrowding but let’s not forget that prison overcrowding is in the adult male prison population.
“It doesn’t affect youth offending, so young males or females, and in fact it’s almost impossible for young females to be sent to prison now, anyway.
Henry Nowak died last December (Hampshire Police/PA)
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“But it certainly doesn’t affect the adult female prison population.
“So Kiran Kaur is not taking up a bed in a prison in the United Kingdom right now that could otherwise be going to someone who is posing a much bigger threat to the country.”
This comes after the Home Office yesterday signalled Indian national Kaur could be in line for deportation from the UK.
Ms Jones also backed Kaur’s potential deportation. Asked if she wants it to happen, she said: “Yes, I think if we’re fair here and we have a fair approach towards deportation of foreign national offenders involved in serious crimes then absolutely, why should she be any different to anyone else?
“And yes, I would support her deportation and that of anyone else connected to this that is also a foreign national offender.”
The Home Office declined to comment on individual cases, but said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Henry Nowak, whose life was cruelly cut short in a horrific act of violence.
“We will always seek to deport foreign criminals at the first opportunity.”
Kaur’s son Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years on June 1 for the murder of the 18-year-old student, after falsely claiming Mr Nowak had racially abused him.
Mr Nowak’s death sparked protests (Gareth Fuller/PA)
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She is also appealing against her sentence, with a hearing scheduled at the Court of Appeal on November 5.
When her sentence was imposed, the 221 days she had already spent on remand were taken into account, it is understood.
Some 5,000 prisoners are scheduled to be released in stages over the next year, down from 6,000 after ministers intervened to exempt rapists and the most serious child sex offenders.
Ministers say the expanded early release scheme is needed to prevent the justice system from collapsing, after a summer when the issue dominated news headlines.
Some 650 criminals were this week released from prisons around the country under the scheme, less than two weeks after 700 were set free early.