Family of Murdered Student Henry Nowak Says Police Handcuffed Him as He Died, Demands Knife Crime Be Treated as National Emergency

The family of murdered student Henry Nowak stated they will carry their grief “every single day” for the rest of their lives and called on the government to treat knife crime as a “national emergency.” Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years for using a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith to stab the 18-year-old in Southampton in December. Digwa had lied to police about being the victim of a racist attack, and officers arrested and handcuffed Nowak as he lay dying on the ground; the family called his treatment by police “inhumane and degrading,” and Hampshire Police has apologized.

Police Bodycam Footage and Arrest

Police bodycam footage shows officers speaking to the killer and handcuffing Henry Nowak as he lay dying. Judge William Mousley KC told Southampton Crown Court he was sure that Nowak had not said anything racist to Digwa. Before sentencing, the judge told Digwa his actions had “stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which has made many Sikhs worried about their safety.”

Family Statements in Court

Henry’s older sister, Olivia Nowak, called her brother, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, her “best friend” and said they had “an unbreakable bond” in a statement read out in court about how his death has changed her life. She said: “The day we got the knock on the door to say my brother had passed, I don’t think there are any words to describe that type of pain. A lot of myself died when he died. Henry was the most wonderful, funny, handsome, kind, precious, smart boy. He lit every room he walked in. As the eldest of four siblings, watching my younger brothers and sisters grieve the loss of their big brother is a pain layered on top of my own. Whenever I’m having a hard day, the only place I want to be is at Henry’s grave. It is the place where the reality of his loss hits the hardest but the only place I am close to him. I feel sad for those who never got to experience life with Henry, even though it was short. If you had known Henry, you would never had hurt him.”

A statement written by Henry’s mother, Lucy Ross, was read out by prosecutors. It said: “Being told that your son has died is something no one can ever truly comes to terms with. The circumstances were so tragic and unimaginable that the pain is beyond anything I knew existed.” She said Henry had been the first grandchild of her elderly parents to go to university and it was a moment that had “filled all of us with immense pride.” She described Henry as “ambitious, determined, and full of life” and said “there will always be a hole in our hearts that can never be repaired.”

Step-Mother and Father’s Grief

Katie Woodcock, Henry’s stepmother, told the court: “I replay the horrors of that night over again. It keeps me awake at night.” She described watching Henry’s father, Mark Nowak, “unable to stand” and hearing his “raw, unfiltered sobs” echoing through the house after police told them Henry had been stabbed and had died. She also recalled finding one of her children, aged 10, “curled up at the top of stairs, alone and frightened,” having “found out in the worst way possible” through overheard conversations. Henry had joined the family at a pantomime days before he was killed, and she said: “We waved him off back to Southampton university, back to the city that was not safe for him.” She described going to clear out Henry’s room at university and finding his advent calendar.

Sentencing and Case Background

Vickrum Digwa was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years for murdering Henry Nowak in Southampton in December. Police custody photographs show Digwa after his arrest. Henry Nowak’s father said his son “did not die with dignity.” The family has called for knife crime to be treated as a national emergency.

Context

The case follows other fatal stabbings in the UK where police response has been criticized, including the murder of 16-year-old Yousef Makki in 2019, where officers initially treated the victim as a suspect before later convictions. It also mirrors aspects of the 2021 death of Jermaine Carey in London, where police were criticized for failing to provide timely medical aid to a stabbing victim.