'I can't breathe': Bodycam clip shows officers handcuffing student as he lay dying on the floor
Student Henry Nowak, 18, was handcuffed and arrested by police after Vickrum Digwa fatally stabbed him before lying about being racially abused by the teen
Warning: Contains distressing footage and images
This is the shocking moment university student Henry Nowak tells police officers he "can't breathe" after being fatally stabbed - to which an officer replies "I don't think you have mate", minutes before he died from his injuries.
Listen to this article
Mr Nowak was detained by officers in the minutes before his death after Vickrum Digwa lied and claimed he had called him a “p****” and knocked his turban off during an altercation in December.
Henry, who had been stabbed four times with an 8in ceremonial knife, was arrested despite pleading with police that he could not breathe.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary have since apologised on behalf of the officers but reiterated that they were deceived, and that they would have been unaware of Mr Nowak's injury.
But chilling bodycam footage of the arrest was released on Monday which shows Henry, a finance student who was on the way home from a night out, calling out "I've been stabbed" multiple times on Belmont Road, Southampton.
An officer replies: "You've been stabbed? Whereabouts? I don't think you have mate."
A female officer can then be heard calling for an ambulance as another says "his pupils aren’t even reacting" to her torch.
The footage begins with officers approaching the address to which an unknown voice says: "He (Henry Nowak) keeps dropping side to side so I am just trying to keep him sat up. He's got a mouthful of blood so.."
Digwa then is heard saying: "He's jumped over these fences and stuff like that."
One of the officers replies: "Has anyone been hurt other than him?" Digwa replied saying "he's grabbed my brother, he's took my turban off, started grab my hair like that".
The killer then claims to have a "swollen eye and a little bruising" before being told to step back by the officer.
Henry then says: "I've been stabbed."
The officer responds: "You've been stabbed? Whereabouts? I don't think you have mate."
An unknown voice later says "he hasn't been stabbed" to which the female officer replies: "But we have to check".
Henry, lying still on his side, is asked what his name is before being told he is under arrest for assault and has his rights read to him.
The officers then request for an ambulance.
Henry had in fact been stabbed four times with an 8in ceremonial knife as it emerged Digwa lied and claimed he had called him a "p****" and knocked his turban off.
Digwa, 23, was convicted of murder and carrying a ceremonial knife with a 21cm blade in a public place.
On Monday, he was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 21 years before being considered for release.
After the sentencing, Henry’s dad, Mark, called for a "full, fearless and transparent" investigation into the police handling of his son’s murder, adding: "Our family should not have to fight for the truth".
Speaking outside the court, Mr Nowak said: "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."
After the conviction on Friday, temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France 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."
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."
Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was also found guilty of assisting an offender by removing the weapon from the scene.
The Prime Minister also waded in on Monday, stating it was appropriate for the force to be investigated by the IOPC.
He wrote on X: "This an awful, shocking case. Henry’s loved ones have gone through the trauma of a long trial and endured Henry's killer making up appalling claims about their son who was thoughtful, kind and deeply loved.
"It is right that the IOPC is investigating the police’s response to his senseless murder. And we must end the cycle of tragedy by tackling the horror of knife crime.
"Henry’s family, friends, his university and the city of Southampton will continue to feel his loss, and our thoughts will always be with them."
Nigel Farage, who earlier called on the release of the footage, posted on X: "This is the most shocking footage of discrimination that you will ever see.
"A white boy being handcuffed by police officers more concerned by an accusation of racism than an act of murder. This must be a turning point. White lives matter too."