Bodycam Footage Fuels Criticism Over Police Handcuffing of Dying Stabbing Victim

Newly released bodycam footage has heightened public scrutiny of local police following the handcuffing of an 18‑year‑old university student who repeatedly told officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe just before his death on a Southampton street.

The video, released on Monday after the conviction of 23‑year‑old Vickrum Digwa for murder, captures Henry Nowak telling officers, “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe” while lying on the ground after the December 3, 2025 attack.

An officer replied, “I don’t think you have, mate,” according to the footage.

Police handcuffed Nowak after Digwa asserted he was the victim of a racist assault, as reported in earlier Sky News coverage of the court proceedings.

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The photograph depicts Henry Nowak in a police handout image provided by Hampshire Police. (Hampshire Police)

Reuters reported that officers later removed the handcuffs and began CPR after recognizing that Nowak had sustained serious stab wounds.

Digwa was sentenced on Monday to life imprisonment after being convicted of murdering the 18‑year‑old University of Southampton finance student with a 21‑centimetre blade, which prosecutors identified as a Sikh kirpan‑style weapon.

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The incident has triggered political backlash in Britain and reignited debate over policing practices, racial considerations, and knife crime.

In a statement read outside the court on Monday, Nowak’s father, Mark Nowak, said his son repeatedly begged for assistance before losing consciousness.

The image shows Vickrum Digwa, found guilty at Southampton Crown Court of stabbing university student Henry Nowak five times with a Sikh kirpan on December 3, 2025. (Hampshire Police/PA Wire)

“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,” Mark Nowak said, according to Reuters. “When police arrived, Henry was lying on the floor, barely able to sit up and plainly in severe medical distress.”

“With his final words, he told officers that he could not breathe. He told them he had been stabbed,” Mark Nowak said, according to Reuters. “The response from one officer was ‘I don’t think you have, mate,’” he added.

Mark Nowak said the family held Digwa solely responsible for his son’s death and condemned the police, stating, “Henry should not have died in police custody in Southampton; the treatment he received was inhumane and degrading.”

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said the case illustrated that fear of being labeled racist outweighed the pursuit of justice for Henry Nowak’s murder, according to Reuters.

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Newly released bodycam footage has intensified scrutiny of local police after officers handcuffed an 18‑year‑old university student who repeatedly told officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe moments before his death on a Southampton street. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick called for the release of body‑worn camera footage and accused authorities of prioritising allegations of racism over saving Nowak’s life during a GB News appearance.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the killing as an awful, shocking case and said it was appropriate for the Independent Office for Police Conduct to investigate the police response.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, which polices Southampton and its surrounding area, previously apologized after the conviction, with Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France stating he was sorry that Nowak had been handcuffed moments before losing consciousness, according to Sky News.

The police force remains under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Reuters contributed to this story.

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