Henry Nowak murderer ‘terrified’ and refuses prison wing over Huntley | UK | News
Killer Vickrum Digwa is being held in isolation after refusing to be moved to the prison wing where he feared he could be killed following the deadly attack on child killer Ian Huntley.
The 23-year-old is understood to have spent up to 23 hours a day alone in his cell at HMP Frankland in County Durham, only leaving for daily exercise under the close supervision of four prison officers.
Digwa, who stabbed 18-year-old Henry Nowak to death in Southampton and falsely claimed he was the victim of a racist attack as the teenager lay on his deathbed, lost access to normal prison privileges, including television.
A source said he refused to move to A-wing after learning it was the same wing where Ian Huntley was fatally attacked earlier this year.
The source said: “He was there because he was terrified and refused to move into a wing.
“He was told he was going to the A-wing and he knew that was where Huntley was killed and he said, ‘No.’
“He said he couldn’t be kept there safely, which is true because there are already rumors about him in prison.
“They can’t get him to move to the wing and he can stay in the ‘seg’ for a very long time.”
The source told The Sun, which produced the report, that conditions in the isolation unit were extremely harsh.
They said: “It’s really terrible. The prisoners are given a very small wind-up radio and you can read books and that’s it.”
“You get let out for an hour at a time with three other inmates, but even then the exercise area is divided into four quarters and you can’t mix.
“He also has to keep all the food from the prison in his cell, which is pretty cruel.
“Many of the inmates at Seg end up wandering around their cells or shouting out the window.
“This is the kind of regime that will drive you crazy.”
Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years in May after being found guilty of murdering Henry Nowak in December 2025; This sentence is currently being challenged as being excessively lenient.
He was previously held at HMP Winchester and was transferred to Frankland, known as “Monster Manor” due to the number of high-profile and dangerous inmates housed there.
The prison also holds some of Britain’s most notorious criminals, including Ian Huntley, who was fatally attacked in the prison earlier this year.
Frankland has also been the scene of other serious incidents in recent years, including an attack on staff by Manchester Arena terrorist Hashem Abedi and violence involving quadruple murderer Damien Bendall.
A Prison Service spokesman said he could not comment on individual prisoners.
