1 day ago
25
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says there are "serious questions for police" following the release of bodycam footage showing how officers responded to the murder of teenager Henry Nowak.
His killer Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed on Monday for a minimum of 21 years for stabbing Nowak with a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith.
Bodycam footage shows the 18-year-old Southampton university student being handcuffed and telling police "I can't breathe" after Digwa lied to officers at the scene of the stabbing, claiming he had been the victim of a racist attack.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the unrest as "completely unacceptable".
She said the Nowak family had made a "powerful call" yesterday "to not let Henry's death be used to create further division, hatred or tension".
"There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder," she said.
Speaking to broadcasters earlier in the day, Sir Keir said the bodycam footage was "really harrowing" and he'd "felt sick watching it".
Sir Keir said the question of "how accusations of racism informed decision making" must be addressed.
Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said an investigation into the police force's actions was ongoing. It is expected to report within the next three months.
Sir Keir said he wouldn't rule out a wider inquiry into the matter, saying "it's important the IOPC do their work at first, but I'm not saying there shouldn't be a wider inquiry. Of course I'm not".
Warning: This story contains details some may find upsetting
Earlier, Mahmood called out a "dangerous undercurrent" in the wake of the killing, which she said was leading to threats.
A police officer has been "forced to relocate to protect himself and his family", after being wrongly identified online as being involved in the case, she said.
In an address to the House of Commons, Mahmood warned against opposition MPs politicising the case.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told reporters he had a sense of "cold rage" at the treatment of Nowak and labelled it evidence of a "two-tier Britain".
"A false accusation of racism counted higher at that moment than someone that was dying," he said.
Getty Images
Protesters clashed with riot police on Tuesday evening
In a statement to the House of Commons, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the "police appeared more concerned with the accusation of racism… than they were with helping Henry".
Mahmood said that while it was for the IOPC to determine the facts of the specific case, she responded to allegations of preferential treatment by police more broadly.
"The police in this country have a sacred duty to police without fear or favour. Everyone in this country is equal before the law," she said.
The prime minister's official spokesman said there was "no such thing as two-tier policing".
Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, himself a Sikh, accused Reform UK and other parties of deciding to "scapegoat" the Sikh community "based on the actions of one violent murderer."
On Tuesday evening, riot police clashed with protesters who had gathered near the scene of the murder.
The protest was promoted by far-right figure Tommy Robinson.
Bins, some bricks and an e-scooter were thrown at police, while officers with riot shields and batons attempted to hold a line along a street.
The attorney general's office is considering the jail sentence given to Vickrum Digwa after receiving "multiple requests" to review it under the unduly lenient sentence (ULS) scheme.
Under current legislation, practising Sikh's have a legal defence for wearing a small, curved blade, known as a kirpan, close to their body for religious purposes.
While Digwa had been wearing a traditional kirpan under his clothing, the weapon he used on Nowak was much bigger and he had worn it in a sheath on top of his clothes.
Digwa's family apologised to Nowak's family and for bringing the Sikh community into "disrepute".
"We love Vickrum. We will continue to love him. That love does not stand in opposition to the sorrow we feel for the Nowak family. Both are real, and both will remain with us for the rest of our lives," an unnamed family member said in a statement.
In her address, Mahmood said she "echoed" the comments of the prosecutor in the case, who said: "This is not a case about Sikhism, this is not a case about racism, this is a case about murder."
His dad, Mark, said: "Henry told officers that he could not breathe nine times.
"He told them that he had been stabbed four times.
"Henry was pulled across the gravel, his hands forced behind his back and he was placed in handcuffs."
He said the contrast between how his son and Digwa had been treated was "unbearable".
Three of the officers involved are still serving, and one has resigned, a spokesperson for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary said.
Donna Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has separately requested a review of the culture and performance of the police force's control room and the training of officers responding to the stabbing.
Scrutiny is also turning to a document called the Police Anti-Racism Commitment, published by the National Police Chiefs' Council in 2025.
A source close to Mahmood said the document was clumsy in its wording, and it was right the language was reviewed to ensure there is no ambiguity.
It comes after Chris Philp raised concerns about the document. He highlighted a section that said producing equality of policing outcomes for people of different ethnic groups "does not mean treating everyone 'the same' or being 'colour blind'".
Police handout
Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life on Monday and told he would serve a minimum of 21 years
In the bodycam footage, a police officer can be heard asking Nowak: "You've been stabbed, whereabouts?" before adding: "Don't think you have, mate."
While being handcuffed, Nowak says "I can't breathe" multiple times.
Later in the footage, Nowak, who seems unresponsive, is told he is being arrested for assault.
In his sentencing remarks on Monday, Judge William Mousley KC said that no matter how quickly Nowak received "first aid, CPR or expert medical treatment", he would not have survived due to the nature of his injuries.
Separately, Digwa's father Moga Singh, 52, and brother Gurpreet, 27, faced court on Tuesday afternoon on weapons charges, and were released on unconditional bail.
His mother Kiran Kaur, 53, was previously found guilty of assisting an offender after she attempted to hide the blade used in the attack. She will be sentenced on 17 July.
Additional reporting by Curtis Lancaster and Peter Cooke
