The family of Henry Nowak fear they were ‘manipulated in their darkest hours’ by detectives and the police watchdog in the months after the 18-year-old’s murder.
The student was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in Southampton last December then handcuffed as he lay dying after his Sikh attacker falsely accused him of racial abuse.
In police body-worn camera footage, Mr Nowak could be heard repeatedly saying ‘I’ve been stabbed’, to which an officer replies: ‘Don’t think you have, mate.’
Digwa, 23, was later jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years in June – and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation.
Now, Mr Nowak’s father Mark and his stepmother Katie, his mother Lucy and older sister Olivia, have spoken in a new ITV documentary about the aftermath of his death.
They told ‘Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice’, airing on ITV this Thursday, about their dealings with police and their trauma over how Mr Nowak was treated by officers.
The family claim that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary (HIOWC) initially suggested to them that Mr Nowak was the aggressor, rather than his killer Digwa.
Police allegedly told the family that officers had immediately administered first aid to Mr Nowak, before admitting he had actually been handcuffed and arrested.
Henry Nowak’s father Mark Nowak (left) and stepmother Katie Nowak speak with ITV News UK editor Paul Brand (right) in the new documentary ‘Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice’
Henry Nowak was stabbed in Southampton last December then handcuffed as he lay dying
The programme also contains claims that the IOPC told the family in April there was ‘no evidence’ of any misconduct by officers on the night Mr Nowak was killed.
The family only saw the disturbing police bodycam footage of Mr Nowak’s arrest several weeks later, on the first day of Digwa’s trial at Southampton Crown Court.
Katie said: ‘I do feel that we have been failed multiple times. 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.’
The Nowaks claim they began to doubt the police account of Mr Nowak’s murder in the hours after they were told he had died.
‘Quite early on something didn’t feel right to us because we were being told that Henry was the aggressor, or it was certainly being alluded to,’ Katie said.
Hours after being told Mr Nowak was killed, the family say they found a post on the Southampton Police Facebook page suggesting that Mr Nowak had started the violence, stating that ‘two individuals were attacked by an unknown man’.
Katie said: ‘We then knew that unknown man to be Henry – so, even reading that was so shocking.’
The following day, while Mark was driving home from identifying his son’s body in Southampton, he said he was called by police to approve a press release that would name his son for the first time.
But Mark said that in this draft release, his son was again depicted as the ‘aggressor’.
‘That was a statement that essentially identified the victim,’ Mark said. ‘So, tarnishing the victim’s name at that stage was shocking for me to hear… as I was on the way back from identifying my son’s body.’
ITV News UK editor Paul Brand speaks to Mr Nowak’s sister Olivia (second right) who revealed she alerted her mother Lucy Ross (far right) to the police arriving at the family home
The family said police also asked them about Mr Nowak’s political views, as well as their own.
Lucy said: ‘I did think at the time, it’s a really strange question. You’ve just been told your son’s been murdered and then they asked that.’
The family believe police initially believed Digwa’s lies that he was the victim of a racist attack by Mr Nowak, before realising their mistake.
Mark said the family were initially told that when police arrived at the scene, ‘they noticed Henry was in a serious state and they immediately started to administer first aid’.
But in the weeks that followed, the family claim they were then told that Mr Nowak had in fact been handcuffed and arrested before officers tried to help him.
‘The story was evolving every time we had an interaction,’ Mark explained. ‘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”.
‘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.’
Digwa used his eight-inch blade to stab Mr Nowak five times – delivering the fatal blow to his chest.
Police initially dismissed Mr Nowak’s pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe, before finally discovering the fatal stab wound to his chest while performing CPR, eight minutes after arriving on scene.
Police officers pinned fatally injured Mr Nowak to the ground as he gasped ‘I’ve been stabbed’
But even as Digwa’s trial approached earlier this year, the IOPC still allegedly insisted to the family that there was no evidence of misconduct by the officers at the scene.
A letter to the family from the IOPC dated April 10 states: ‘After careful consideration of the available evidence, the decision was made… that no HIOWC officers would be subject to conduct or criminal investigation. This was because there were no concerns identified in relation to officer actions.’
Katie said: ‘We had no reason to doubt this letter. So, when we finally got to see that video in court, we were so shocked.’
Weeks later on the first day of Digwa’s trial, the family finally watched the police bodycam footage which revealed how officers attended to Mr Nowak.
Mark and Katie watched the footage for the first time in a small side room in Southampton Crown Court.
A transcript revealed that Mr Nowak’s final words before he died were, ‘Please, brother. I can’t breathe.’
Katie said: ‘In the last year, our world has changed twice. The first time was the night that we were told that Henry had died. And the second time was when we watched that video.
‘It was just horror, the desperation he must have felt. It’s your worst nightmare.’
Mark added: ‘It’s inexcusable. After being slaughtered, when you see blue lights, you feel there’s a sense of justice. You feel like you’re going to get help. And [Henry] got none of that. And then he died.’
Lucy also 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? “Don’t think you have mate” – what the hell is that all about?
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison for murdering Henry Nowak
‘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.’
Lucy and Olivia were told of the contents of the footage by Mark – but they have never seen it.
‘I will never watch that video,’ said Lucy. ‘I can’t watch videos of happy times of Henry. I can’t, I can’t hear his voice. The last thing I want to do is hear Henry’s voice begging for help. I won’t do it.’
Speaking about the police’s conduct, Katie added: ‘We’ve always felt that there was a slight hope that Vickrum may have pleaded guilty.’
‘If he’d pleaded guilty, or we hadn’t have hired expert help and been so persistent, or the public outrage hadn’t been so strong, we’ve always had that fear that the truth may never have come out.’
Kiran Kaur, Digwa’s mother, was also jailed for three years for assisting an offender after she removed the knife used by her son. She could be released as early as next month.
Katie also spoke about when the family received a visit from police officers after Mr Nowak was fatally stabbed.
She said: ‘I jumped out of bed and I saw the police car on our driveway. One of the police officers was holding his hat in his hand, and I just knew straight away that something horrific had happened.’
She remembered Mark falling to his knees upon hearing the news of the student’s death, adding: ‘He let out a cry that I’ll never forget.’
‘It was just shock,’ Mark said. ‘I just remember saying “it’s Henry” and breaking down in tears. It’s just unbelievable pain.’
Vickrum Digwa’s mother Kiran Kaur (above) was jailed for three years for assisting an offender
Lucy recalled officers knocking on the door in the early hours and her daughter Olivia, Mr Nowak’s sister, shouting at her: ‘Mum, there’s police at the door.’
‘They said to me, “Do you have a son called Henry?…”,’ Lucy said. ‘”There’s been an altercation. And unfortunately, your son has passed away.” No words, no words can explain that feeling.’
The IOPC investigation into potential failures in the police response to Mr Nowak’s stabbing is expected to wrap up early next year.
Following a review of the case and Digwa’s murder conviction, the IOPC announced in July that two officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct.
Last week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced an independent review of the case, including the IOPC’s involvement.
HIOWC chief constable Alexis Boon told ITV: ‘Henry’s murder was a devastating tragedy, and our thoughts remain with his family and all those who loved him. I am incredibly sorry that in his final moments, when he needed us most, we failed him.
‘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 events surrounding Henry’s death remain subject to extensive independent scrutiny. We are co-operating fully with the review by HMICFRS [His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services], the IOPC’s investigations and the coronial inquest. But I will not wait for their findings to make changes.
‘Henry deserved better. His family deserved better. I am determined that we learn every lesson from this tragedy and ensure families who place their trust in us are treated with honesty, compassion and professionalism.’
IOPC director of engagement Derrick Campbell said: ‘Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Henry’s family and friends for their tragic loss.
‘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.
‘Our investigators continue to have regular contact with Henry’s family. Since Vickrum Digwa was convicted of his murder, they have met with members of Henry’s family on a number of occasions to provide them with updates and to explore their concerns, about police actions and our investigation, in more detail.
Digwa used his eight-inch blade to stab Mr Nowak – delivering the fatal blow to his chest
‘We are working hard to conclude our independent investigation as quickly as possible while ensuring we have robustly explored all lines of enquiry.’
A CPS spokesman said: ‘Our thoughts remain with Henry Nowak’s family and friends for the unimaginable pain they have suffered.
‘Our priority in this case was always securing justice. That means we must carefully balance our duty to protect the integrity of live court proceedings with our engagement with families.
‘Unfortunately, we were unable to share sensitive evidence with Henry’s family until the case was trial-ready; to avoid any risk of prejudicing proceedings. We discussed this with them and explained that decision.’
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘The murder of Henry Nowak was a tragedy. His life was cruelly cut short in a horrific and senseless act of violence. Our thoughts are with Henry’s family who have experienced unimaginable loss.
‘We are continuing discussions with Sikh stakeholders and the police about the law on carrying knives in public and the religious reasons defence.
‘The Home Secretary has also announced a rapid independent review, led by Alex Chalk KC, into the circumstances surrounding Henry’s murder, including whether opportunities were missed and whether lessons can be learned.
‘This Government is committed to halving knife crime in a decade, and it is down 11 per cent in the last two years. But while there are still tragedies like this, there is more to do.’
‘Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice’ will air on Thursday at 9pm on ITV, ITVX, and the ITV News YouTube channel
