"Henry told officers he could not breathe NINE TIMES – and said he'd been stabbed FOUR TIMES... But police handcuffed him and read him his rights"
As killer gets life, Henry Nowak's dad says his son "died without dignity", as he calls for police to be held accountable
By Gary Chappell
Vickrum Digwa has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years for murdering Henry Nowak.
But outside Southampton Crown Court, it quickly became clear that Henry’s family do not believe the story ends there.
In a devastating statement delivered following the verdict, Henry’s father Mark Nowak made one thing abundantly clear: The family are not only seeking justice for Henry’s murder. They are seeking answers about how he was treated in the final minutes of his life.
Mr Nowak said his son ‘died without dignity’ and spoke of his astonishment that Henry spent his final moments handcuffed with his hands behind his back – while his killer was walked to the canteen to choose his food even after he had been charged with murder.
Mr Nowak said: “The jury confirmed what we’ve always known. Henry’s life was taken from him unlawfully, violently and without justification.
“Henry was 18 years old. He was kind, ambitious, loved and full of promise. He had his whole life ahead of him, a degree to finish, places to see and a future to build. That future was stolen from him and no verdict or sentence will ever give it back.
“Henry did nothing wrong. He was one of the kindest, friendliest and most inclusive people you could ever hope to meet. He was amazing in every way.
“On the 3rd of December last year, Henry was walking home from a night out with his university football team-mates when he encountered Vickrum Digwa, a man openly carrying a large knife on the streets of Britain.
“That knife was used to take Henry’s life. He should have been safe walking home. Instead, he became another young life lost to the brutal reality of knife crime in this country.
“Henry had been stabbed multiple times and as his chest filled with blood, he tried to escape.
“He was chased, abused and filmed by Vickrum Digwa and others.
“When police arrived, Henry was lying on the floor, barely able to sit up and plainly in severe medical distress. With his final words, he told officers that he could not breathe. He told them he had been stabbed.
“In fact, Henry told officers that he could not breathe nine times. He told them he had been stabbed four times.
“The response from one officer was, ‘I don’t think you have, mate’.
“The police have said they were misled by the murderer and that the scene when they arrived was complex. Unfortunately, it seems to us that truth is much simpler.
“The police were told by our son himself and by a member of the public who called 999 that they heard someone shout that they had been stabbed. But the police did not believe them.
“Henry was pulled across the gravel, his hands forced behind his back and he was placed in handcuffs.
“Instead of being treated as a dying victim, police formally arrested Henry for assault and read him his rights. That was the last thing he heard.
“Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.”
Family call on Home Secretary to ensure police are properly investigated
Mr Nowak was careful to make it plain who bears responsibility for Henry’s murder.
He said: “Let me be absolutely clear – we hold Vickrum Digwa solely and 100 per cent responsible for the brutal murder of our son. But Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody. The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading.
“His murderer, however, was afforded decency. He was believed. He was not handcuffed when arrested.
“He was not handcuffed when transported to the police station. As far as we understand, he was never handcuffed at all.
“And as Vickrum Digwa himself told the court, while under arrest for Henry’s murder, police even took him to the kitchen so he could choose his food. The contrast is unbearable.
“We believe the officers involved remain on duty, although we understand some may have since resigned. One was allowed to leave the force before she had given an account to the Independent Office of Police Conduct [IOPC] of what happened that evening.
“The IOPC investigation remains ongoing. Whilst we await its final report, we are calling on the Home Secretary to ensure that the IOPC has the resources, authority and independence it needs to conduct a full, fearless, and transparent investigation. Our family should not have to fight for the truth any more.”
That demand comes as Hampshire Police continue to face intense scrutiny over their response.
It comes after senior politicians including Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman publicly raised concerns about what happened that night.
And it comes as growing numbers of ordinary people continue to ask a question that simply refuses to go away.
Why was an 18-year-old repeatedly saying he had been stabbed treated as a suspect rather than a victim?
The criminal trial has answered one question.
Vickrum Digwa murdered Henry Nowak.
But the questions surrounding the actions of Hampshire Police remain unanswered.
And if Mark Nowak’s statement is any indication, his family have no intention of allowing those questions to disappear.
“Justice is not enough - Government must treat knife crime as a national emergency”
Mr Nowak said: “For us, there is no closure. There is no moment where the pain stops.
“There is no moment where the Henry-shaped hole in our family is filled. We will carry this grief every single day for the rest of our lives.
“But today matters. Today, Henry was believed. The truth has been recognised. Today, justice in the eyes of the law has been served.
“But justice alone is not enough. We want to use Henry’s heartbreaking story to make change for the better.
“We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We want his story to make our streets safer for everyone. That is why we are calling on the Government to treat knife crime as the national emergency that it is.
“We need real solutions. We need investment in prevention. We need stronger action on the sale, the ownership and carrying of all knives. And as this case so painfully demonstrates, we need common sense applied to our laws.
“This doesn’t mean knee-jerk reactions. This doesn’t mean going to extremes. It just means a common sense approach to law and order.
“As the case for the prosecution summed up in court, this is not a case about Sikhism. This is not a case about racism. This is a case about murder.
“People should not be able to walk openly through the streets of Britain carrying a 21cm blade.
“As a family, we will not let this go. No other family should experience the heartbreak and horror of losing a child to knife crime.”
Henry “said nothing racist”
In his sentencing remarks, Judge William Mousley KC firmly rejected Digwa’s central defence that the fatal confrontation was triggered by racial abuse from Henry Nowak.
“I am sure that Henry said nothing racist,” said the judge. “You [Digwa] are the only person to make that claim and it is completely at odds with his previous character.”
Judge Mousley described Digwa’s account – including allegations that Henry had called him a “Paki,” knocked off his turban and launched an unprovoked racist attack – as “one of the many lies” and a “convincing but wholly false narrative”.
He noted that Digwa had sustained little or no visible injury, while Henry, who was unarmed, was chased and stabbed multiple times as he tried to escape.
The judge further criticised Digwa for stirring up hatred, telling him: “Your actions have stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which have made many Sikhs worried about their safety.”
He added that Digwa had “brought shame upon your family and your religion”.
Digwa’s minimum term could have been longer
Digwa was handed the mandatory life sentence for murder, with a minimum term of 21 years (20 years and 190 days, accounting for time served on remand).
Under UK sentencing guidelines for murder, the judge had discretion to set a higher tariff.
Prosecutors had argued for a starting point closer to 25 years, citing aggravating features including the carrying of a large blade in public, the multiple stab wounds, the filming of the dying victim and the false narrative given to police.
While the judge acknowledged these factors, he ultimately imposed a 21-year minimum term.
Concluding his statement, Mr Nowak added: “Finally, I want Henry to know wherever he is, we are so proud of him and we love him beyond words.”