After weeks of pressure and a highly emotional statement from Henry Nowak’s father, Hampshire Police finally decided to release the body-camera footage from the night last 3 December 2025, when the 18-year-old British university student was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man, handcuffed by arriving police officers, and ultimately bled to death.
The footage confirms what had already become clear during the trial: despite repeatedly telling officers that he had been stabbed, Henry was treated as a suspect rather than the victim.
The recording shows him lying on the ground in obvious distress, struggling to breathe and repeatedly attempting to explain what had happened. Rather than accepting his account — despite his visibly deteriorating condition — officers immediately appeared to believe the version of events presented by Digwa, who claimed that Henry Nowak was a racist who had attacked him.
One of the most disturbing exchanges occurs when an officer asks Henry where he believes he has been stabbed. Before the wounded teenager can properly respond, Digwa interjects: "He hasn’t been stabbed." The officer replies: "I know, but we have to check." Yet, they did not check.
Later, after Henry again states that he has been stabbed, one officer responds: "I don’t think you have, mate." As the encounter continues, officers proceed to handcuff Henry and arrest him for assault, largely based on Digwa's allegations that the teenager had attacked him and removed his turban. Only once Henry’s condition becomes impossible to ignore do officers begin treating him as a critically injured stabbing victim.
The footage ends with Nowak lying on the ground in handcuffs, losing consciousness from blood loss while officers call for an ambulance. He later died at the very same spot.
The release of the body-camera footage sparked immediate outrage, which was further fuelled by the release of the 999 call made by Digwa’s brother, obtained by GB News. In the recording, the murderer’s family member told the operator that a 'group of men' had assaulted Digwa and removed his turban. He made no mention whatsoever of Nowak’s life-threatening injuries. According to many, the family members present at the scene should also face criminal liability in connection with Nowak’s death.
As soon as the footage was released, the case suddenly became impossible for both mainstream media outlets and politicians to ignore, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In a post on X, Starmer described the case as "awful" and "shocking", adding that "it is right that the IOPC is investigating the police’s response’ to Nowak’s senseless murder".
The prime minister also stated that the "cycle of tragedy" must end by "tackling the horror of knife crime". "Henry’s family, friends, his university and the city of Southampton will continue to feel his loss, and our thoughts will always be with them," Starmer concluded.
Given that the circumstances surrounding Nowak’s murder had already been widely known and covered by numerous outlets, Starmer’s reaction itself was met with outrage and criticism, with many arguing that it was "too little, too lat"’, especially as he did not explicitly condemn the murderer in the post. Numerous users responding to Starmer’s statement compared it to his reaction to George Floyd’s death in the United States, when he immediately "took the knee", calling the prime minister a "disgrace".
Media reports also suggest that Starmer did not issue the statement entirely on his own initiative, but was pressured into doing so by Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle. According to GB News, Hoyle also compelled the government to address Parliament regarding Nowak’s murder after growing anger among MPs over the cabinet’s handling of the case.