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The family of murdered student Henry Nowak has spoken of the profound trauma caused by learning of his death and subsequently viewing body-worn camera footage that showed police officers handcuffing him as he lay dying.
The 18-year-old accountancy and finance student at the University of Southampton was fatally stabbed on 3 December 2025 while walking home from a night out with his football team. As reported by BBC News, his family revealed during an interview with ITV that their lives were shattered first by his death and again upon seeing the police footage recorded at the scene.
Details of the Incident and Footage
During the incident, killer Vickrum Digwa falsely claimed to police that Nowak had racially abused him. Officers handcuffed the teenager as he repeatedly informed them that he had been stabbed. In the footage, after Nowak said he had been stabbed, an officer responded, “Don’t think you have, mate.”
Digwa, 23, was subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years. His mother, Kiran Kaur, received a three-year prison sentence for assisting an offender after removing the knife used in the attack.
Family Recounts Impact and Notification
Nowak’s family—including his father Mark, stepmother Katie, mother Lucy, and sister Olivia—spoke about their experience for the ITV documentary Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice. It took authorities approximately 24 hours to formally identify his body and notify his relatives.
Katie described the moment officers arrived at their house, noting that seeing an officer holding his hat signaled that something tragic had occurred. “In the last year, our world has changed twice,” Katie said. “The first time was the night that we were told that Henry had died. And the second time was when we watched that video.”
Mark recalled breaking down in tears upon hearing the news, describing the experience as “It’s just unbelievable pain.” Lucy explained that police knocked on her door at 1:00 AM to inform her that her son had passed away following an altercation, adding, “No words, no words can explain that feeling.” She noted that she can no longer enter her son’s bedroom, while Olivia shared that she keeps some of his T-shirts on his bed for comfort.
Official Investigations and Public Outrage
The disclosure of the video footage generated widespread political and public outrage. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is currently investigating two police officers for potential gross misconduct. The watchdog is also evaluating whether race, religion, or prejudice influenced the officers’ actions, with its findings expected early next year.
In response to the case, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced an independent review led by former lord chancellor Alex Chalk to examine potential missed opportunities to intervene prior to the murder.
Chalk stated, “Serious questions have been raised about whether agencies and organisations failed to act on complaints about Digwa’s violent and erratic behaviour.” He added, “My review will follow the evidence without fear or favour. It will also examine how public authorities treated the Nowak family at a time of unimaginable pain.”
The documentary Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice is scheduled to air on Thursday, 5 November at 21:00 GMT on ITV, ITVX, and the ITV News YouTube channel.
