Footage reveals police arresting, handcuffing, and ignoring Henry Nowak’s cries after a Sikh man fatally stabbed him.
Henry Nowak, a white teenager traveling home in Southampton’s Portswood suburb, was savagely attacked on December 3 by Vickrum Digwa, a knife-wielding Sikh. The attacker stabbed Nowak multiple times, filmed his desperate attempt to flee, and loomed over him as blood filled his chest cavity. Compounding the tragedy, Digwa—joined by family members at the scene—falsely told police that Nowak was the aggressor, claiming he had been racially attacked, called him a “Paki,” and knocked off his turban.
Digwa was convicted of murder last week and sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in prison. While Digwa faces imprisonment, the scandal surrounding Nowak’s death intensifies after damning body camera footage emerged showing how police mishandled the teen during his final minutes.
Hundreds of protesters flooded Southampton Central Police Station Tuesday wearing English flags and carrying signs declaring “All lives matter” while demanding justice for Nowak, whom officers arrested for assault, handcuffed, and treated as a criminal based on Digwa’s false claims. Some demonstrators recited the Lord’s Prayer, denounced the involved police, and chanted “Christ is king,” while others shouted “I can’t breathe”—a phrase Nowak reportedly used nine times before losing consciousness.
Remigration activist Tommy Robinson urged protesters to demand full legal prosecution of officers rather than resignation with “fully bloody pensions.” A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman confirmed three responding officers remain on duty, while one has resigned. The spokesperson noted that the Independent Office for Police Conduct is treating those officers as witnesses, meaning they face no immediate restrictions.
The police department condemned online misinformation spread during Tuesday’s protests, urging residents to avoid “harmful speculation” during the ongoing IOPC investigation.
As public outrage grew, UK officials confronted the incident’s implications. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the body camera footage as “harrowing,” affirming support for the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s review. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticized Britain’s “race-based laws” and “two-tiered policing.” Reform UK’s Nigel Farage declared, “The fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder” and demanded the attorney general ensure Digwa never walks free.
Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, wrote: “Enough is enough—a deep line needs to be drawn in the sand. Talk is weak. Britain needs to say no more, and mean it.” British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood emphasized that “everyone in this country is equal before the law,” pledged commitment to halving knife crime within a decade, and assured there would be “no justification for vigilante justice.”
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