𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The family of a teenage murder victim who was handcuffed by police as he was dying from stab wounds have demanded “a full, fearless and transparent investigation”. Police treated university student Henry Nowak in an “inhumane and degrading” manner and ignored his pleas for help, father Mark Nowak said. A judge yesterday sentenced Sikh man Vickrum Digwa to life imprisonment following the murder of 18-year-old Henry in Southampton last December.

Digwa stabbed his victim five times with a ceremonial knife and then lied to police, telling them that he had in fact been the victim of a racist attack. The case has provoked outrage after officers attending the scene apparently believed Digwa’s story and arrested Mr Nowak, despite the student telling them he had been stabbed. It was only when Mr Nowak collapsed and lost consciousness that officers started to provide first aid.

Digwa, 23, will serve a minimum of 21 years following the brutal killing. He was also convicted of carrying a bladed weapon in public while his mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty of assisting an offender by removing the weapon from the scene.

Speaking on behalf of the family, including Henry’s mother Lucy and stepmother Katie, Mark Nowak said: “Henry had been stabbed multiple times and as his chest filled with blood, he tried to escape. He was chased, abused and filmed by Vickrum Digwa and others.

“When police arrived, Henry was lying on the floor, barely able to sit up and plainly in severe medical distress. With his final breaths, he told the officers that he could not breathe. He told them he had been stabbed.”

Highlighting evidence presented to the court during the trial, he continued: “In fact, Henry told the officers that he could not breathe nine times. He told them he had been stabbed four times.”

“The response from one officer was: ‘I don’t think you have, mate.’”

In a statement delivered outside the courtroom, Mr Nowak continued: “Henry was then pulled across the gravel, his hands forced behind his back, and he was placed in handcuffs. Instead of being treated as a dying victim, police formally arrested Henry for assault and read him his rights. That was the last thing he heard.

“Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.”

The family called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to ensure watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is looking into the case, “has the resources, authority and independence it needs to conduct a full, fearless and transparent investigation”.

Mr Nowak added: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension.”

Reform Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf demanded Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary release body-cam footage showing exactly what happened. He said the treatment of Mr Nowak raised concerns about “two-tier policing” and warned: “Public trust in the police is already at a historic low.”

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones called for a review of legislation that currently allows Sikhs to carry ceremonial daggers.

She said: “Vickrum Digwa was able to carry a knife in public because there is an exemption for those who observe the Sikh faith to carry ceremonial daggers … I intend to write to the Prime Minister to request a national review of the laws concerning the carrying of bladed articles under religious exemptions.”