Kiran Kaur: Mother of Henry Nowak killer will be freed early from prison, Sky News understands

The mother of Henry Nowak's killer will be freed early from prison, Sky News understands.

Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life for stabbing 18-year-old Mr Nowak to death in Southampton in December.

His mother, Kiran Kaur, arrived at the scene and removed the knife used by her son before police arrived.

Kaur of St Denys Road, Southampton, was jailed for three years for assisting an offender in July by taking the weapon back to the nearby family home.

Sky News understands that the release is set to take place in December, with Kaur, who is an Indian national, possibly being eligible for the government's deportation scheme.

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."

Who was Henry Nowak?

Kaur could serve less than half of her sentence and be freed around the anniversary of Mr Nowak's death under the government's early release scheme.

She is also appealing against her punishment, with a hearing scheduled at the Court of Appeal next month.

When her sentence was imposed, the 221 days she had already spent on remand were taken into account, it is understood.

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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.

Mr Nowak, a first-year finance student from Chafford Hundred, Essex, had been on a night out with his football team.

He was stabbed five times by Digwa, suffering four stab wounds and a cut to his jaw, with two of the wounds to the back of his legs, a post-mortem found.

But, despite his injuries, he was mistakenly arrested and handcuffed by police officers who believed Digwa's claim that Nowak had racially abused him.

Hampshire Police later apologised for their officers' error.

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