London, UK - A British Sikh man who was jailed for life for murdering young white student Henry Nowak is seeking to appeal against his conviction and sentence, the Court of Appeal said Friday.
The contentious, high-profile case has sparked a furore – and violent protests – in Britain as police handcuffed 18-year-old Nowak after his attacker, Vickrum Digwa, falsely claimed he had been racially abused.
Digwa (23) was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years behind bars on June 1.
The UK government last month also asked the appeals court to review the sentence as too lenient, which could see it potentially increased.
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves said she had formally requested Digwa's jail term be reconsidered. The appeals court will decide whether to quash it and replace it with a more appropriate sentence.
No date has been set yet for a hearing for the appeal to increase the sentence, or for Digwa's appeal against his conviction.
The case was seized on by right-wing and far-right figures in the UK and abroad – including X-owner and trillionaire Elon Musk – accusing British police of treating white people and ethnic minorities differently.
On Wednesday, the UK police watchdog said it was probing for possible gross misconduct by two police officers who were the first at the scene after the December attack in the southern city of Southampton.
Nowak, a finance and accounting university student, told officers he had been stabbed, but was initially dismissed. He died from his wounds soon after.
After Digwa's conviction, harrowing police bodycam footage was released showing Nowak lying on the ground, mortally wounded, as he repeatedly told officers, "I can't breathe".
The police force involved in the case has since apologized for handcuffing Nowak.