Mother of son murdered during Nottingham attack speaks against politicians "exploiting" Nowak tragedy
The mother of Nottingham attack victim Barnaby Webber has said that she finds it difficult that “some very high profile politicians use these tragedies as a platform.”
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Responding to the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, Emma Webber said: "Anyone who didn’t do their job properly must be held to account. But we have few facts, and that can be very dangerous in the wrong hands.”
Southampton student Henry was handcuffed after the killer Vickrum Digwa, 23, lied to the police and claimed he had been a victim of a racist attack.
Nowak suffered a fatal wound from a 21cm (8in) blade. Digwa has been jailed for life with a minimum 21-year term.
Nigel Farage has been criticised for telling the British public that they should react to the police’s actions with “pure, cold rage.” following the death of Henry Nowak in December 2025.
Ms Webber has said “What we do need to do is be brave and have those really difficult discussions in this country."
She said her son's killer "was a black man who killed three white people and tried to kill another three white people, and that was never part of the conversation. If it had been the other way round, it would have been.”
In June 2023, Valdo Calocane killed Barnaby, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates in an attack in Nottingham, and further went on to injure three others.
Today the Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman is the last to give evidence to the inquiry into the 2023 Nottingham attacks.
Ms Webber says that she empathises with Henry's family, telling the Daily Telegraph: “I’m sure they’ve heard all the same things we have: ‘I can’t imagine. It’s the most awful thing. It’s every parents nightmare.’”
“It’s all of that and then some. To lose a child in any circumstance is the wrong order. But to have a child murdered when it could have been prevented... I really pray this is the line in the sand.”
During Prime Minister’s Questions, the Prime Minister accused Nigel Farage of exploiting the Nowak case.
Keir Starmer told the Commons: “Exploiting this tragedy to create a grievance and division would be wrong in any circumstances. But to do it when the family are expressly saying ‘please don’t’ is unforgivable. It shows exactly who he is.”
In a statement outside court on Monday, the victim's father Mark said his family wanted “Henry’s heart-breaking 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."