UK Police bodycam shows wrongful arrest of dying teen stabbed by British Sikh man, sparks outrage
PTC News Desk: Bodycam footage released by police has triggered widespread debate in the UK after it showed officers handcuffing 18-year-old student Henry Nowak while he lay critically injured following a stabbing in Southampton.
The footage, made public with the consent of Nowak's family, was released after Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old British Sikh man, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder.
According to the video, when officers arrived at the scene, Digwa told them that his turban had been knocked off and that he had suffered an eye injury, suggesting he had been the victim of an attack. Meanwhile, Nowak can be heard repeatedly telling officers, "I've been stabbed" and "I can't breathe" as he lay on the pavement.
Police bodycam shows 18-year-old Henry Nowak stabbed five times and bleeding out on the ground, repeatedly gasping 'I can't breathe' while officers handcuff him based on his killer's false racism claim. If this doesn't wake the UK up, nothing will. pic.twitter.com/5JZQXTla4h — Keaton Hobby (@RealKeatonHobby) June 2, 2026
According to court reports from Southampton, there was an altercation in court between members of the family on both sides requiring police intervention.
“Instead of being treated as a dying victim, police formally arrested Henry for assault and read him his rights. That was the last thing he heard,” the victim's father, Mark Nowak, told reporters outside the court following the verdict.
“Let us be clear. We hold Vickrum Digwa solely responsible for the brutal murder of our son. But Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody,” he said.
The police force has since issued a formal apology and is now facing an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.
- With inputs from agencies
