Henry Nowak's family accuse Hampshire Police of manipulation after stabbing death
The family of stabbed teenager Henry Nowak say police misled them and fear officers prioritised their reputation over the truth. An IOPC investigation is ongoing.
Nowak family: 'We were manipulated in our darkest hours'
The family of Henry Nowak, the 18-year-old student stabbed to death in Southampton in December 2025, have accused Hampshire police of misleading them about the circumstances of his death, The Sun reports. Nowak was handcuffed by officers as he bled from five stab wounds — wounds inflicted by Vickrum Digwa, 23, who used a ceremonial dagger and had falsely accused Nowak of racial abuse before police arrived.
Digwa was subsequently jailed for life. But the conduct of the officers who responded to the scene has since become the subject of a separate and deeply contested inquiry.
'The story was evolving every time'
Nowak's father, Mark Nowak, told ITV News that the account given by police changed fundamentally across successive meetings with the family. "What started off as: 'When the police arrived, we administered first aid,' moved through a stage where: 'When the police arrived, they detained everyone' … to: 'We actually only detained Henry,' to then: 'We handcuffed Henry,' and then: 'We placed Henry under arrest,'" he said. "That evolution of what actually happened that night really shocked us, and we felt we were being hoodwinked. We felt we were being not told the truth."
Officers had initially told the family that Nowak had been the aggressor and that first aid had been administered immediately. Neither account held up under scrutiny.
Nowak's stepmother, Katie Nowak, said she feared decisions had been taken specifically to shield the force from consequences. "I do feel that we have been failed multiple times," she told ITV News. "I fear that we may have been manipulated in our darkest hours. And I fear that some decisions were made to try and protect the police and their reputation rather than help us as a family."
'Don't think you have, mate'
Bodyworn camera footage released after Digwa's conviction showed Nowak telling officers nine times that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. An officer responded: "Don't think you have, mate." The footage prompted widespread public outcry.
Nowak's mother, Lucy Ross, said: "Henry told the police nine times that he can't breathe, he can't breathe and he's been stabbed. What more do you want? Why've you just … 'Don't think you have mate'. What the hell is that all about? And then handcuff him. Why was Henry so dismissed and treated so badly? It's bad enough losing a child. To know that then he was treated in his last moments like that. My poor little boy needed help and he didn't get it."
Watchdog reversed its initial position
The family disclosed that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had told them in April that "no [Hampshire police] officers would be subject to conduct or criminal investigation," citing an absence of concerns about officer actions. Fewer than two months later, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary issued a formal apology for its response that night.
The force's chief constable, Alexis Boon, acknowledged the failures in an interview with ITV News. "I am incredibly sorry that in his final moments, when he needed us most, we failed him," Boon said. "I recognise that, for Henry's family, this has been about more than the circumstances of one night. They have rightly raised serious concerns about the police response and their treatment throughout the investigation and since. No family should ever find themselves in this position."
The IOPC's director of engagement, Derrick Campbell, said the watchdog remained committed to a full account of events. "The IOPC is committed to establishing the full circumstances of this case, including whether any of the officers involved should face disciplinary proceedings, and providing Henry's family with answers to the questions they rightly have about how the police treated Henry in the way they did on that terrible night, and why," Campbell told ITV News.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has separately launched a review to examine whether opportunities to prevent the murder were missed.
Source: The Sun