The Murder of Henry Nowak

The bodycam footage released by the Hampshire Constabulary following the conviction of Vickrum Singh Digwa depicts the moments immediately following the stabbing by Digwa of 18 year old Henry Nowak in Southampton on 3rd December 2025. Influenced by Digwa’s lying claims that Henry had racially abused and assaulted him, officers treated Henry as a suspect rather than a victim and initially ignored his desperate claims that he had been stabbed before recognising the severity of his injuries, removing the handcuffs and attempting CPR. Despite these efforts Henry died at the scene and the evidence of the pathologist at Digwa’s trial established that however quickly he received first aid, CPR or expert medical treatment Henry would not have survived. The sentencing remarks of Judge Mousley KC (https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Digwa-Final-Sentencing-Remarks.pdf) following Digwa’s conviction, reveal a much fuller picture of events than can be gleaned from the brief bodycam footage but, as is usual in the social media age, they received precious little coverage in the furious debate that ensued following Nigel Farage’s call for people to respond with “pure, cold rage”. To discuss the implications for UK policing and whether the Police Anti-Racism Commitment (https://www.npcc.police.uk/our-work/police-race-action-plan/police-anti-racism-commitment/) developed in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd in the USA provides any explanation as to why officers responded as they did to the 999 call made by Digwa, Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC are joined by freelance criminal justice and policing expert Danny Shaw whose thoughtful article for the Institute for Government calls for considered and targeted government action rather than instant, ill considered policy reversals -https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/inside-briefing/protests-politics-and-killing-henry-nowak The trio finish by discussing the sentencing remarks, issued some two weeks too late, in relation to the sentencing of the 3 teenagers convicted of raping two young girls in Fordingbridge and the extent to which the Judge’s reasons provide a clear justification for the sentences he imposed - https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Case-No-44SC0053025-T20257005.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices