Highlights
- Henry Nowak, 18, was handcuffed after being stabbed in Southampton in December last year
- His killer, Vickrum Digwa, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years
- Hampshire Police is under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct
- Keir Starmer and ministers criticised the police response, while Nigel Farage linked the case to wider concerns about policing
POLICE are facing mounting pressure after bodycam footage showed an 18-year-old student being handcuffed as he lay dying from stab wounds after his attacker falsely claimed he had carried out a racist assault.
The footage, released after the sentencing of Vickrum Digwa, has sparked political criticism, public anger and an independent investigation into the actions of officers at the scene in Southampton last December.
Henry Nowak, 18, was stabbed during an altercation in the city centre. When police arrived, Digwa, 23, told officers that Nowak had attacked him and knocked off his turban. Officers initially treated Nowak as a suspect despite his repeated pleas for help.
In the footage, Nowak can be heard saying, “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe”. One officer responded: “I don’t think you have, mate.” The teenager was handcuffed while lying on the ground. Officers later removed the handcuffs and began CPR after realising he had suffered serious injuries, but he died shortly afterwards.
On Monday (1), Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder. The court heard he had lied to police about being the victim of a racist attack.
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Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer described it as an “awful, shocking case” and said it was right that the police watchdog was investigating officers’ response to what he called Nowak’s “senseless murder”.
Judge at Southampton Crown Court sentenced Vickrum Digwa to life in prison and ordered him to serve at least 21 years for the killing of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak. Photo credit: Hampshire Police
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the bodycam footage was “harrowing”. Speaking to BBC Radio, he said: “The conduct of the police when you look at it at the scene is shocking.”
'Officers are more concerned about allegations of racism'
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the incident showed that officers were more concerned about allegations of racism than establishing the facts. He said “the fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder” and called for changes in policing culture.
The judge in the case, William Mousley, acknowledged that the killing had stirred racial tensions. Demonstrations were planned in Southampton and elsewhere following the release of the footage.
Nowak’s family strongly criticised the actions of officers, describing his treatment as “inhumane and degrading”. However, speaking outside court, his father urged people not to use his son’s death “to create further division, hatred or tension”.
Digwa carried out the attack using a ceremonial knife. Sikhs are exempt from some restrictions on carrying such items for religious reasons. The court heard the blade was about 21cm (eight inches) long.
Hampshire Police has apologised for the officers’ response. The force is now being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Donna Jones, the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire, said the details of the response raised “serious concerns about police impartiality, fairness and judgement”. She said the findings of the investigation would be published without delay.
The case is continuing in Southampton Crown Court, where Digwa, his brother Gurpreet Digwa and another man, Moga Singh, are facing separate weapons-related proceedings.
Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, is due to be sentenced in July after admitting to assisting an offender by taking the knife back to the family home following the killing.
(with inputs from agencies)
