Henry Nowak's killer launches bid to overturn murder conviction as taxpayers foot £150k legal bill

Henry Nowak's killer has launched a bid to overturn his murder conviction and reduce his sentence.Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life after he had stabbed the 18-year-old student then lying to the police about being racially abused in December last year. It has since been revealed that Digwa and his mother, Kiran Kaur, who was convicted of assisting an offender, cost taxpayers an eyewatering £150,000 in legal aid. Digwa was given £79,621 in Legal Aid, the Sun reports. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say This figure included £78,300 for the Crown Court trial, £1,100 for representation at Southampton police station and £137 for a warrant of further detention.A further breakdown of the trial's costs, which started on May 14, was £66,000 spent on solicitors and £12,800 spent on Jeremy Wainwright KC, the killer's barrister. His mother's legal bill cost £75,542 for her trial, where she was found guilty of removing the murder weapon from the scene, with £65,000 spent on solicitors and £10,000 on barristers. The total legal costs of the mother and son stand at £155,163. Legal aid is Government-funded assistance with meeting the costs of lawyers and their advice. It is paid directly to lawyers, rather than the defendants and is a lever to ensure a fair trial is given to defendants who would otherwise not be able to pay for legal representation. However, a source told the Sun the numbers are a smack in the face.They said: It’s a smack in the face that Digwa gets this sort of funding behind him, potentially less than the payout Henry’s family could receive down the line.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Henry’s family must be given the same privileges of a top KC for his inquest, and for any inquiry.How ironic would it be if an inquest into whether their boy was a victim of two-tier justice sparked another two-tier row?MORE TO FOLLOW... Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter