Killer's Mother to be Freed Early Under Labour's Release Scheme

Kiran Kaur, the mother of Henry Nowak's killer, is scheduled for early release from prison in December. Kaur, 53, was jailed for three years on July 17 for assisting an offender by removing the murder weapon from the scene. She will be eligible for release after serving one-third of her sentence, approximately seven months, due to Labour's new early release program.

Kaur's son, Vickrum Digwa, stabbed 18-year-old Henry Nowak to death in Southampton on December 3 of the previous year with an eight-inch ceremonial dagger. Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years in June. He had falsely claimed to police that Nowak had subjected him to racist abuse and removed his turban.

Footage released by the Crown Prosecution Service shows Digwa speaking to his mother in Punjabi, asking her to take away the knife. Prosecutors stated that Kaur knew or believed her son had stabbed and injured Nowak when she removed the weapon. The judge remarked that a responsible parent would have encouraged their son to do the right thing, and Kaur's actions helped conceal the weapon's use. The murder weapon was not found by police until seven days after the attack.

Kaur, an Indian national, is scheduled to appeal her sentence on November 5. On the same day, Digwa's appeals against his sentence and conviction will also be heard. The Attorney General has also referred Digwa's sentence for review, arguing it was too lenient.

Labour's prison release scheme, which began earlier this month, is set to free up to 50,000 offenders annually. The program will be extended to offenders serving sentences up to three years and three months starting November 10, making Kaur eligible. The Home Office stated that they will always seek to deport foreign criminals at the first opportunity, though it remains unclear if Kaur will face deportation proceedings.