23-year-old Vickrum Digwa was convicted of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak and sentenced to life with a minimum 21 years after stabbing him four times in Southampton in December 2025.
Bodycam footage released Tuesday shows officers initially handcuffed Nowak and arrested him for assault after Digwa’s family falsely reported a racist attack, even as Nowak twice said, “I’ve been stabbed.”
Police called an ambulance within three minutes of arriving, but officers failed to properly assess Nowak despite signs he was gravely ill; he was pronounced dead about 40 minutes after Digwa’s arrest.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the response, including whether anti-racism guidance or training influenced officers to trust Digwa’s account over the dying victim’s.
The case has fueled riots and online outrage, but the report says several viral claims are false, including that Nowak was denied first aid for an hour or visibly bled out in front of police.
Did anti-racism training lead police to misidentify a dying victim as a perpetrator?
When a dying victim is handcuffed, has the principle of equality before the law completely failed?
The Henry Nowak Case: Murder, Police Failures, and the Crisis of Public Trust in British Policing (2025–2026)
Overview
After Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed, Vickrum Digwa was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Police released video showing officers dismissing Nowak’s pleas for help, which led to public outrage and large protests demanding accountability. A judge highlighted that officers handcuffed Nowak before realizing he was seriously wounded. Despite these failures, Nowak’s family thanked the investigation team. The incident sparked widespread debate about police conduct, with community members and protestors calling for change, and has become a focal point for discussions on policing, public trust, and the need for reform.