Reports claim Hampshire Police planned to release a statement three days after Henry Nowak’s murder painting him as the aggressor – sparking a furious response from his family
Tragic Henry Nowak’s family feared police would paint their son as the aggressor just days after his brutal murder, reports claim.
Hampshire Police planned to issue a statement implying Henry, 18, had assaulted both Vickrum Digwa and his brother, the Sunday Times reported. An initial police statement read: “It was reported two men had been assaulted by an unknown man.”
And as they identified Henry’s body three days after his murder, police are understood to have told his family a planned update – which would include the Nowaks’ tribute – would again infer that he was the initial aggressor. Henry’s family claimed police still believed that Henry had been racially abusive.
In fact, “weapons-obsessed” Digwa, 23, who carried an eight-inch Sikh ceremonial knife, stabbed Henry before falsely claiming the student had racially abused him. After Henry’s family furiously claimed their son’s name was being besmirched, officers dropped that section of the statement. It referred only to an “altercation”, with no allegation of racism.
Digwa was jailed for life last week, with a minimum term of 21 years, for murdering Henry in Southampton in December. Two days after the murder – just 24 hours before officers phoned the family about the statement – Digwa was secretly recorded speaking in Punjabi to his brother, Gurpreet, who had arrived on the scene shortly after the attack.
The brothers were in the back of a police van being taken to court so that officers could request more time to question them. Digwa – who failed to tell the 999 call handler or attending officers – admitted to his brother that he had stabbed Henry. He made no mention of his earlier allegation of racial abuse.
Instead, he agreed with Gurpreet that he would claim he had acted in self-defence. Outside court on Monday after Digwa’s sentencing, Mark Nowak, Henry’s father, said: “Our family should not have to fight for the truth any more.” It comes as it emerged Attorney General Lord Hermer is “closely” looking at Digwa’s sentencing and considering whether to refer it to the Court of Appeal.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said: “In the end, what they (the killer) breached was Henry’s respect, the human dignity of life. They then manipulated the situation by bringing race into the context, which was clearly a lie. Now clearly the court saw through that lie, and I think it’s really important to say my experience of the half a million or so Sikh community in this country is a peace-loving community, and that’s why they have moved very quickly to reject what we saw, the horrors of what we saw, and I think it’s right that the AG also looks at this case closely, and whether he should be making a referral to the Court of Appeal.” He added: “He is considering that as we speak.”
Henry’s family has made clear that they do not want their son’s death to be used to stoke division. “They are obviously very upset with the protests that happened in Southampton on Tuesday evening – that is not in accordance with their wishes,” said Donna Jones, the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire, who helped support the family last week. “They are urging calm reflection.”
Henry was stabbed and left bleeding out while returning home from a night out – before cops ignored his pleas for help and instead handcuffed him. When police arrived at the scene in Southampton, Digwa accused his victim of making racist remarks – causing officers to arrest Henry as he lay dying.
Bodycam footage shows Henry telling cops several times that he had been stabbed – only for one to say “I don’t think you have, mate”. The teenager was even heard in the clip saying “I can’t breathe” as well as “I’ve been stabbed”. He tragically died just one hour after the video was taken.
Ms Jones described the body-worn camera footage as “the most shocking thing” she had ever seen. “Having watched the entire footage of over 45 minutes, do I think that Henry should have been handcuffed? No, I don’t,” she said. “He couldn’t even sit up. He clearly wasn’t [at risk of] absconding after arrest … I think that was an error in judgment, albeit mitigated by a very confusing situation that the officers [came] up to.”
Outside court, Mark Nowak contrasted the treatment of his son with that afforded to Digwa. “Henry did not die with dignity,” he said. “He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him … The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading. His murderer, however, was afforded decency, he was believed … and as Vickrum Digwa himself told the court, while under arrest for Henry’s murder, police even took him to the kitchen, so he could choose his food.”
In his sentencing remarks, Judge William Mousley said: “I am sure that Henry had said nothing racist. You [Digwa] are the only person to make that claim and it is completely at odds with his previous character.”
Hampshire Police have been approached for comment.
