Kiran Kaur and Vickrum Digwa
Kaur was jailed for removing the murder weapon and hiding it at the family home, where police later found it among more than 20 other weapons.
Donna Jones, Hampshire and Isle of Wight’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said an early release would be a significant setback for Nowak’s family. Prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg described her role in concealing the knife as “crucial” and called her actions “criminality of the highest order”.
The changes were introduced under the Sentencing Act 2026, which came into force on October 1. Near real-time location data for probation officers is due to be rolled out nationally by the end of 2026. Under the new system, most prisoners serving fixed-term sentences of up to two and a half years are automatically released on licence after serving one-third of their sentence, rather than half.
Jones said she would write to Justice Secretary Alex Norris to seek clarification on the rules so she could continue supporting the family. The Ministry of Justice said new licence measures include a presumption that prison leavers will be electronically tagged, restrictions confining some offenders to agreed areas, and allowing victims to have a say in licence conditions. A government spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Henry Nowak, whose life was cruelly cut short in a horrific act of violence.”
Kaur’s offence, assisting an offender, is not among those excluded from the revised scheme. She would serve the remainder of her sentence in the community under licence conditions and could be returned to prison if she breached them.
Kiran Kaur, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison in July for removing the knife her son, Vickrum Digwa, used to kill Nowak in Southampton in December. Kaur is appealing against her sentence, with her case due before the Court of Appeal on November 5.