Two Hampshire police officers are under investigation for potential gross misconduct after they handcuffed a dying teenager who told them he had been stabbed and was struggling to breathe.
Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old accountancy and finance student at the University of Southampton, was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in Southampton on 3rd December last year. Bodycam footage released after his death showed the teenager being restrained as he lay on the pavement, pleading for help. His pleas were dismissed, and he was denied first aid. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has now launched a gross misconduct investigation into both officers, examining whether they failed to recognise he was fatally wounded and whether race or religion influenced their decision-making.
“Two police officers face investigation after handcuffing dying stabbing victim Henry Nowak while his killer refuses prison move over Huntley fears.”
IOPC director of engagement Derrick Campbell said: “We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to Henry’s family and friends. … There is clear evidence that public confidence in the force may have been seriously harmed by this incident.” Henry’s family, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, have been notified of the investigation. The murder sparked intense protests across Southampton after the bodycam footage emerged.
Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in May with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder – a sentence currently under appeal as unduly lenient. But while the police face scrutiny over their actions that night, Digwa is now being held in segregation at HMP Frankland in County Durham after refusing to move onto A-wing, where child killer Ian Huntley was fatally assaulted earlier this year.
An insider said Digwa “is there because he is terrified and refused to locate to a wing.” He spends up to 23 hours a day alone in his cell, allowed out for only an hour of exercise under the watch of four prison officers. He has been stripped of privileges including television, left with only a wind-up radio and books. “It is the sort of regime that will drive you mad,” the insider said. The wing he refused to go on is the same one where Huntley died, and the insider added: “There is already talk about him around the prison.” Digwa was moved to Frankland – nicknamed “Monster Mansion” – from HMP Winchester. He had claimed, in a “wicked lie” heard in court, that he was the victim of a racist attack while Nowak was dying. Now he is isolated, fearing the same fate as the Soham murderer.