London: A British court has increased the minimum prison term for 23-year-old Sikh man Vikram Digwa, convicted of murdering an 18-year-old university student, from 21 to 25 years before he can be considered for parole.
Digwa was convicted in December last year of murdering University of Southampton student Henry Novak. Novak was returning home to the Portswood area after spending time with friends when Digwa attacked him five times.
Digwa had sought to defend himself by claiming he was acting in self-defence with a religious kirpan.
In her ruling, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr said the fact that the kirpan was initially lawfully possessed did not diminish the seriousness of its subsequent unlawful use. The court described the original sentence as unduly lenient and refused Digwa permission to appeal against the increased minimum term.
Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment in June, with a minimum term of 21 years. The latest ruling increases that period to 25 years. He has separately appealed against his conviction, which will be considered independently.
Kirpan controversy and religious exemption
The case sparked controversy after Digwa cited religious self-defence and claimed that the weapon used in the killing was a kirpan.
Sikhs in Britain are legally permitted to carry a kirpan under specific religious exemptions. However, the case prompted concerns among British Sikh organisations about potential hate crimes and the possibility of the wider community being targeted because of the incident.
Sikh leaders and parliamentarians condemned what they described as the misrepresentation of the kirpan, stressing that the religious exemption did not justify its unlawful use in the killing.
Digwa’s mother sentenced to three years
Digwa’s India-born mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison in July after being convicted of assisting an offender.
She had taken possession of the weapon used in the murder and helped remove it from the crime scene with the intention of obstructing the investigation.
During sentencing, Justice William Mousley said the kirpan was a symbol of religious faith in Sikhism and should never be carried for the purpose of attacking others.
He said its use in self-defence could only be justified where the threat was sufficiently serious and immediate.
