Video taking off 66x its usual first day

Henry Nowak's killer must serve at least 25 years

5 News reports the Court of Appeal's decision to increase the minimum term, alongside his family's account of facing another hearing.

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5 News Story of November 6, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 316,283 views a day, 66 times a normal first day on this channel (4,802).

Henry Nowak’s killer has prison term increased after Court of Appeal ruled it was ‘unduly lenient’

For Henry Nowak's family, the appeal meant another court hearing to endure. "It just doesn't feel fair to us at all. It's another process that we've got to go through," his stepmother, Katie Nowak, tells 5 News.

The Court of Appeal has increased his killer's minimum term from 21 years to 25, ruling that the original sentence was "unduly lenient". The life sentence remains in place: the ruling changes the minimum time he must serve, not a fixed release date.

Nowak was murdered in Southampton in December last year. The report brings together photographs of him, footage from the police response and his family's words before turning to the decision at the Royal Courts of Justice.

Three senior judges heard competing arguments. The killer had challenged his sentence as excessive, while Attorney General Ellie Reeves referred it to the court as unduly lenient. Her submissions pointed to aggravating factors including his efforts to conceal evidence and his false allegation of racism against Nowak.

The Short drew about 190,000 views in its first ten hours, far beyond the usual start for a 5 News Short. Its central moment is the ruling itself, delivered by Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr: "The minimum term of 21 years will be quashed. In its place we substitute a minimum term of 25 years."

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