Family of murdered teenager Henry Nowak speaks out over police bodycam footage
The grieving family of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student who was fatally stabbed, has shared the profound distress caused by viewing police footage of his final moments. In a recent interview, his relatives described the compounded agony of watching officers handcuff the dying teenager after his attacker, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, falsely claimed that the victim had directed racial abuse toward him.
The incident occurred on December 3, 2025, while Henry was returning home from an outing with his football teammates in Southampton. He sustained five stab wounds during the encounter. Digwa has since been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years, while his mother, Kiran Kaur, received a three-year prison sentence for helping her son hide the weapon.
Henry’s family—father Mark, mother Lucy, stepmother Katie, and sister Olivia—spoke with ITV for a documentary titled Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice. They recounted the devastating early morning visit from police, where they were informed of the tragedy. For his father, the news prompted an immediate and visceral reaction of immense grief. His stepmother, Katie, noted that their lives were shattered twice: first upon receiving the news of his death, and again when they saw the body-worn camera video. In that footage, Henry can be heard informing the officers that he had been stabbed, a plea that was initially dismissed by an officer who suggested otherwise.
The circumstances surrounding the murder have drawn significant political attention. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has commissioned an independent review, headed by former Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk, to investigate potential missed opportunities for intervention regarding the attacker. The review is tasked with examining concerns about how various agencies handled reports of Digwa’s previous violent and unpredictable behavior. Furthermore, the inquiry will scrutinize the conduct of public authorities toward the Nowak family during their period of loss.
As the family continues to advocate for answers, the upcoming documentary serves to highlight their personal struggle and the national outcry triggered by the case. The program is scheduled to air on November 5. Throughout this process, the family remains focused on understanding why Henry’s pleas were ignored by those who arrived on the scene and whether institutional failures contributed to the tragedy.
Sources: BBC News
Aggregated summary. Original: BBC News