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Thursday 2 July 2026

Police officers investigated over handling of Henry Nowak case

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Two police officers are being investigated for gross misconduct over the case of Henry Nowak, who was stabbed and killed by Vickrum Digwa in Southampton in December. Digwa falsely said he had been the victim of a racist attack, which prompted officers to handcuff Nowak. Video shows Nowak saying that he couldn’t breathe and that he had been stabbed. A police officer replied: “I don’t think you have, mate.” The Independent Office for Police Conduct initially treated the officers involved as witnesses, indicating a belief that there was no possible wrongdoing, but changed its view. Digwa has been jailed for a minimum of 21 years. The government’s senior legal advisers are appealing in an effort to have the sentence lengthened.

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