Police slammed by MPs for handcuffing fatally stabbed student after murderer claimed to be victim of racist attack
Vickrum Digwa, 23, attacked Henry Nowak, 18, five times with a 21cm Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife and told police a "wicked lie" that he was the victim of a racist attack
MPs have slammed a police force after a dying teenager was handcuffed in the street after being stabbed by a Sikh man who accused him of being racist.
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Vickrum Digwa, 23, attacked Henry Nowak, 18, five times with a 21cm Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife and told police a "wicked lie" that he was the victim of a racist attack.
Mr Nowak, a finance student at Southampton University, was on the way home from a night out when he was fatally stabbed five times with a ceremonial knife in December 2025.
Writing for The Telegraph, Reform UK's Robert Jenrick said the murder of Mr Nowak and his treatment in his dying moments was a national scandal.
He said: "An 18-year-old, robbed of his future on a night out in Southampton after being brutally stabbed five times with a 21cm ceremonial sword.
"Instead of helping him, the police initially arrested him as he bled to death after he was accused by his attacker of racial harassment. Henry was treated not as the victim, but as the criminal. His murder could not have been more monstrous; the police response more shameful."
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said Mr Nowak was an "innocent young man".
"Policing more widely should end its fixation on race and alleged racism in the way it approaches policing," he added.
Sarah Jones, the crime and policing minister, said Mr Nowak's death was "truly horrific". She added: "It is right that an IOPC investigation has been launched into the actions of the police to get to the truth."
The court heard that officers from Hampshire Constabulary had handcuffed Mr Nowak after Digwa told them he had been the victim of a racist attack.
The officers took the action to arrest and handcuff Mr Nowak despite him telling them he had been stabbed.
The court heard that it was only when he collapsed and lost consciousness that they started to provide first aid but he died on the street.
The case attracted so much outrage that Elon Musk offered to fund a private prosecution against the police force, who are now under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Musk posted on X: "Unconscionable. I am happy to fund a wrongful death lawsuit against these disgusting excuses for law enforcement. They damn well better have been fired."
The prosecution said Digwa had told a "wicked lie" to police who attended the scene by telling them he had been the victim of a racist attack.
Following the case, temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France has apologised on behalf of the officers but reiterated that they were deceived, and that they would have been unaware of Mr Nowak’s injury.
Mr France said: "This is an absolutely tragic case and my sympathies are absolutely with Henry’s family, his friends and his loved ones.
"I want to apologise, I want to say that I am sorry that Henry couldn’t be saved at that night. I’m sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested in the moments before he lost consciousness.
"It's quite clear that officers didn’t understand what had happened immediately and that is some of the context I would ask people to understand.
"There had been a delay from those who chose eventually to call them. There were lies, lies from Henry’s killer in that 999 phone call, further lies from his killer as officers arrived on scene.
"Despite Henry telling officers he had been stabbed, it took them some minutes to realise what had really happened.
"But within three minutes of that engagement with Henry, they were giving him first aid. They had taken the handcuffs off and they were giving them first aid."
On Thursday, he was found guilty of murder and carrying a bladed weapon in public at Southampton Crown Court. His mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty of assisting an offender by removing the weapon from the scene.
Mr France added: "We referred ourselves immediately to the Independent Office of Police Conduct the following day and they’ve been independently investigating ever since.
"We are absolutely committed to acting on their findings. It’s clear to me the circumstances were complex. For example, Henry’s significant wound, the wound that was fatal, was deep and internal.
"The pathologist was clear in court, that it would have been hard to find. The bleeding was inside Henry’s body.
"Sadly, there was nothing the officers could have done that night to save him.
"We should always listen to someone who is telling us they are injured. Of course, we will look at this and see what we can incorporate into our training, particularly first aid training, in order to improve, and we want to improve every day, the response of our officers.
"That is an absolute tragedy and, of course, if there’s anything we can learn from it, we will."
Sikhs are permitted in law to carry a kirpan knife, but prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC said the discrete carrying of a small dagger under clothing was sufficient for the requirements of the religion.
Mr France said the force had engaged with the Sikh and university communities on the issues involved in the case including the carrying of kirpans – Sikh ceremonial knives such as the one used to kill Mr Nowak.
He said: "The law’s extremely clear in relation to the carrying of kirpans and we have issued guidance to all officers to make sure that where people are in breach of that law action will be taken, regardless of who they might be, or what community they might come from.
"We pride ourselves in the way we engage with all communities and we have been engaged with this community since this happened, as we have with the university community, where Henry came from, and the wider community of Southampton."
During the trial, Digwa told the court that Mr Nowak, who he described as drunk, had racially abused him before punching him and knocking his turban off.
He said he had stabbed Mr Nowak to the back of his legs in self-defence after Mr Nowak had threatened him and grabbed him by the hair, but said he had not realised at the time he had caused the fatal stab wound to his chest.
But prosecutors said Digwa had told a "wicked lie" to police who attended the scene by telling them he had been the victim of a racist attack.
He also "lied" by telling officers that he had not stabbed Mr Nowak despite the student's pleas for help as he told the police that he was injured.
Nicholas Lobbenberg KC, prosecuting, said the defendant "chose" to carry two knives, one under his clothing while the large knife which was used in the killing was on display.
Mr Lobbenberg added: "This is a man who likes weapons. He thinks a knife is a suitable wedding present for his brother."
Judge William Mousley KC adjourned the case for Digwa to be sentenced on June 1 and Kaur on July 17.
An IOPC spokesman added: "Our thoughts and sympathies are with Henry Nowak’s family and everyone affected by his death.
"We are independently investigating the contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight officers had with Mr Nowak prior to his death on December 4, including the use of handcuffs by officers and the first aid provided.
"Our investigation, which began following a mandatory referral from the force that we received the same day, remains ongoing and the officers involved are currently being treated as witnesses."