The family of Henry Nowak, 18, have described the trauma of viewing police body-worn camera footage showing officers handcuffing their son as he lay dying from stab wounds in Southampton in December 2025.
Nowak was stabbed five times while walking home from a night out with friends. His killer, Vickrum Digwa, 23, falsely told police that Nowak had racially abused him. In the video, Nowak repeatedly tells officers "I've been stabbed," but an officer responds "Don't think you have, mate." Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years. Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, was jailed for three years for assisting an offender by removing the knife.
Speaking to ITV for the documentary Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice, his father Mark, stepmother Katie, mother Lucy and sister Olivia said watching the footage compounded their grief. Katie Nowak said their "world has changed twice" - first when told of his death, and again when they watched the video. The family learned of Henry's death when police arrived at their homes in the early hours of 4 December, more than 24 hours after the stabbing.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating two officers for potential gross misconduct and whether race, religion or prejudice affected police decisions. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced an independent review led by former lord chancellor Alex Chalk to examine "any missed opportunities to intervene" and whether agencies failed to act on complaints about Digwa's violent behaviour.
The documentary airs on Thursday, 5 November at 21:00 on ITV, ITVX and ITV News YouTube channel.