Police watchdog considers whether ‘race or religion’ played role in officers’ decision to handcuff teenager as he lay dying
Daily Telegraph 01/07/26
Two police officers who arrested Henry Nowak before his death are being investigated for gross misconduct.
The university student was handcuffed by police as he lay dying from stab wounds while Vickrum Digwa, his Sikh killer, was treated as a victim of racist abuse.
The 18-year-old pleaded with the officers, telling them he had been stabbed, to which one of them replied: “Don’t think you have, mate.”
The police watchdog said on Wednesday that this officer and another who had initially attended the scene were both under investigation for gross misconduct.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had expanded its investigation following discussions with Nowak’s family, who had made formal complaints against Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
As well as looking into the actions of the officers involved and the call handlers who answered Digwa’s 999 call, the watchdog is also examining whether the “race or religion of either Henry or the Digwa family impacted on the actions and decision-making of the officers”.
It will consider whether the officers’ decisions were influenced by “assumptions or prejudice relating to community tensions at the time and complaints made by Henry’s family about differences in how Henry was treated by officers compared to how Digwa and his family members were treated upon their arrests”.
Derrick Campbell, the IOPC’s director of engagement, said: “There is clear evidence that public confidence in the force may have been seriously harmed by this incident, and that is a factor we must consider when assessing the evidence.
“The serving of gross misconduct notices does not necessarily mean that disciplinary proceedings will follow. At the end of our investigation, we will decide whether any officers should face disciplinary proceedings.”
Nowak’s death on Dec 3 last year happened minutes from Highfield House Hotel, Southampton, where protests had been taking place after the Home Office began using the site to house around a hundred asylum seekers.
In the months before the murder, tensions in the Portswood area had grown after a series of incidents including the arrest of two asylum seekers for sexual assault.
The release of body-cam footage of Nowak’s final moments, in which he told the officers “I can’t breathe” and “I’ve been stabbed”, triggered a public outcry and violent disorder.
The finance student told officers he could not breathe at least nine times, but they repeatedly ignored his pleas and placed him in handcuffs behind his back.
The video ends with the officer arresting Nowak asking for his name and reading him his rights. The teenager then falls unconscious.
Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years for his murder. After officers realised that the student had been stabbed, they placed the killer under arrest but did not put him in handcuffs at any point.
Hampshire Constabulary confirmed that he was not handcuffed once during the four days he spent in custody before being charged.
Chief Constable Alexis Boon, of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, apologised for his officers’ actions but denied allegations of two-tier policing, saying Mr Nowak had not been treated differently because of his race.
Nowak’s family described the contrast in how the two men had been treated as “unbearable”.
In a statement after the case, Nowak’s father compared his son’s “inhumane and degrading” treatment to the “decency” officers showed towards his murderer.
The family has called on Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, to ensure that the IOPC conducts a “full, fearless and transparent investigation”.
“Our family should not have to fight for the truth any more,” they sai
Hampshire Constabulary said the officers that are under investigation for gross misconduct had not been suspended but had stepped away from work.
The force said the two officers were “currently away from the workplace” and if they do return to work they will not be doing public-facing duties. A spokesman confirmed they have not been suspended.
An IOPC spokesman said: “The evidence indicates that both officers – who were the first to arrive at the scene late in the evening of Dec 3, 2025 – may have potentially breached the professional behaviour standards of duties and responsibilities, use of force and discreditable conduct.
“These relate to potential failures by the officers to recognise that Henry needed urgent medical attention, to immediately act after he said he had been stabbed and he couldn’t breathe, and the decision to arrest and handcuff Henry rather than provide immediate first aid.
“There’s also an indication one of the officers may have breached the standard relating to authority, respect and courtesy, for appearing to dismiss Henry saying he had been stabbed.”
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