Bodycam Shows Police Handcuffing Dying Student as Stabber Walks Free
Released bodycam footage captures the final moments of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student handcuffed and read his rights by police after a religious knife attack, while his attacker went free that night.
Henry Nowak told police he had been stabbed four times. An officer told him: "I don't think you have, mate." Then they handcuffed the dying 18-year-old behind his back, read him his rights for assault, and left him bleeding on the pavement. The 23-year-old man who had just stabbed him five times walked away.
Freshly released bodycam footage shows British police handcuffing Nowak as he bled to death from five knife wounds. Officers ignored his repeated pleas because the killer falsely claimed Nowak had been racist. The footage, released June 2 following Vickrum Digwa's murder conviction, exposes a policing culture that prioritized avoiding accusations of bias over saving a teenager's life.
Nowak was cuffed behind his back and dragged across gravel. Digwa went unrestrained at the scene, received food at the police station, and had his family remove the murder weapon. The Home Secretary has refused to review the religious knife exemption that legally allowed Digwa to carry a 21-centimeter blade, even as Nowak's father calls for knife crime to be treated as a national emergency.
Nowak, an 18-year-old British-Polish university student, was stabbed five times on Dec. 3, 2025 in Southampton. Digwa, 23, was convicted of murder May 28 and sentenced to life with a 21-year minimum on June 1. Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, was convicted of assisting an offender. Nowak died at the scene at 12:37 a.m.
Digwa's brother Gurpreet called 999 and falsely claimed Nowak had racially abused Digwa, knocked his turban off, and attacked him. Officers arrived and took Digwa's word over Nowak's pleas. Bodycam shows Nowak repeatedly telling officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe. His father Mark later stated he had said he was stabbed four times and could not breathe nine times. Nowak's blood alcohol was below the drink-drive limit.
Judge William Mousley KC found Digwa gave a "convincing but wholly false narrative" and stated unequivocally: "I am sure Henry said nothing racist." The jury rejected Digwa's claims of racism and self-defense, convicting him of murder. Judge Mousley noted the large blade Digwa carried, described as a large Sikh dagger, was not a strict religious requirement.
Nowak was handcuffed behind his back and dragged on gravel while Digwa was not handcuffed at the scene. At the station, Digwa was taken to the kitchen and offered food. Nowak's body went to the morgue. A pathologist confirmed the wound was deep and internal with extensive internal bleeding. Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France confirmed there was nothing officers could have done to save Nowak.
Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones stated it was devastating that officers did not believe Henry when he said he had been stabbed. One officer involved has resigned; three others remain on duty. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating all four officers as witnesses. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary issued a formal apology and self-referred to the watchdog.
Digwa carried two blades: a small kirpan under his clothing and a 21-centimeter blade worn in a sheath over his clothes. UK law under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and Offensive Weapons Act 2019 exempts kirpan carrying with no legally prescribed size limit. College of Policing guidance confirms there is no legally prescribed size for a kirpan. The Sikh Federation stated the weapon used was not a kirpan and if a blade is used in violence, the religious defense no longer applies.
Jones wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling for an urgent national review of religious knife exemptions. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood declined a formal review, saying the issue is worthy of serious consideration but wants to consult the Sikh community first. Reform UK pledged to ban kirpan carrying in public and abolish police diversity, equity and inclusion plans. The Attorney General received multiple requests to review Digwa's sentence as unduly lenient.
Approximately 1,000 protesters gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station on June 2. Protests escalated to brick and bottle throwing at police, resulting in two arrests. Mahmood warned of a dangerous undercurrent of threats against police. An unrelated officer was misidentified online and forced to relocate after receiving death threats.
Mark Nowak, Henry's father, delivered a victim impact statement calling police treatment inhumane and degrading. He stated: "We are calling on the government to treat knife crime as the national emergency it is. We need real solutions. We need investment in prevention. We need stronger action on the sale, ownership and carrying of all knives." He urged common-sense law and order reform.
"The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading," Mark Nowak said. "He did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved."
Jones called the case a national tragedy and said officers failed to believe Henry when he said he had been stabbed. "Henry was falsely accused of racially aggravated assault as he lay dying on the ground, while his attacker stood by denying the violent act he had inflicted upon him," she said.
The case has ignited national debate about police priorities and religious weapon exemptions. Former Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu called comments by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage inflammatory and extremist. Kemi Badenoch, Conservative Party leader, compared the case to the Stephen Lawrence murder that exposed institutional racism in British policing.
Prime Minister Starmer said he felt sick watching the bodycam footage. He described the footage as harrowing and told his Cabinet the case was awful and shocking. He said it was right that the IOPC was investigating, acknowledging there are serious questions for the police to answer.
Digwa's family issued an apology through the Sikh Press Association. "We are deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the Nowak family has had to endure," they said. "We would give anything to turn back time so the path of both Henry and Vickrum never crossed that night."
The IOPC investigation continues, with a report expected within three months. Henry Nowak's family calls for knife crime to be treated as a national emergency. Their plea echoes across a country grappling with a policing culture that appears to value ideological compliance over the basic protection of citizens.