Police have released the harrowing and distressing moment Henry Nowak was arrested by officers after being stabbed five times by a Sikh man using a religious ceremonial knife.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary previously apologised for the treatment of the university student, who was handcuffed just moments before he died.
Calls for the force to release police bodycam footage of the arrest have been widespread.
In the footage, the police attend the scene where Mr Nowak is already lying face down on a gravel driveway.
A man appears to inform the police Mr Nowak is bleeding.
Mr Nowak then told officers several times "I have been stabbed" and "I can’t breathe".
An officer repeats back to the teenager: "You've been stabbed, mate? I don't think you have."
It also showed his murderer, Vickrum Digwa, falsely claiming the 18-year-old had racially abused and assaulted him when officers arrived at the scene in Southampton.
Police have released the moment Henry Nowak was arrested by Hampshire Police after being stabbed multiple times
|PA
Based on this false allegation, police appeared to treat the injured teenager as the suspect rather than the victim.
Mr Nowak was read his rights before being handcuffed.
Three minutes after being arrested, Mr Nowak collapsed unconscious.
He was pronounced dead at 12.37 am on December 4, 2025, approximately one hour after the initial confrontation with his killer.
The force has previously apologised for the treatment of Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed just moments before he died
|PA
Digwa, 23, was today jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years after murdering Mr Nowak with a kirpan on December 3 last year.
The murderer's mother, Kirun Kaur, also received a guilty verdict for assisting a defendant by removing the weapon from the scene.
Mark Nowak, the father of Henry Nowak, broke down in tears as he read his victim impact statement to the court, in which he described the family’s devastation at the loss of his "beautiful son".
He said: "As a father, it is my job to protect my child and I failed to keep him safe, I was not there when he needed me most, the thought of him lying in the road, scared, bleeding to death will haunt me forever."
The 'large Sikh dagger' used to stab Henry Nowak
|CPS
He added: "I have been traumatised by not knowing exactly what happened that night. A parent losing a child is the worst thing in the world but not knowing how it happened is like a fate worse than hell.”
Mr Nowak, who has three other children, added: "There is a Henry-shaped hole in our family forever and nothing will heal that. If I could swap places so the four of them could be together again, I would do so in a heartbeat."
Describing the impact of Henry’s absence at key family moments, he said: "Completely and utterly devastating doesn’t begin to describe how we are feeling as a family on these significant days and every day in between.
"I am haunted by all things he will never do. As a family, we have all been given a life sentence, this pain will be with me until my dying day."
Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years after murdering the university student
|PA
Olivia, the sister of Henry Nowak, spoke directly to the defendant as she told him: "f you had known him, you would never have hurt him."
She told the court: "My brother was my first best friend, an unbreakable bond, we lived our life to the fullest together. He lit up every room that he walked into and the world became less valuable the day he left.”
Olivia described Henry as "funny, handsome, precious and kind", and added: "My brother should not be forever 18, he deserved to grow old and start a family of his own, to be an uncle to my children."
When addressing Digwa, the judge added: "You have brought shame upon your family and your religion."
The judge also dismissed claims Mr Nowak had used a racist word against Digwa, which the killer's defence had used to aid Digwa in his case.
Henry Nowak was stabbed to death on the walk home from a night out with friends | HANDOUTHe said: "I am sure that Henry said nothing racist. You are the only person to make that claim and it is completely at odds with his previous character."
The judge noted "Henry Nowak dying alone, humiliated and handcuffed was a direct consequence of Vickrum Digwa’s dishonesty" and Digwa's defence "describing Henry as a violent, drunk, racist aggressor, compounds the grief of the family".
He added: "Your actions have stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which have made many Sikhs worried about their safety.
"You, Vickrum Digwa, murdered him; by doing so, you robbed him of all the things he loved. You have brought misery and a lifetime of loss to his family and anyone that knew him."
The Crown Prosecution Service has also released an official photograph of the 21cm (8-inch) ceremonial knife.
The incident took place on December 3 on Belmont Road, when Mr Nowak was walking home from a night out with his football team | CPSTemporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France of Hampshire Constabulary said: "I’m sorry that Henry’s life couldn’t be saved that night, and I’m sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested in the moments before he lost consciousness.
"When his killer made that call to the police, and he called the police, not the ambulance service, he lied on that call. He lied when police attended the scene. He continued to lie as Henry’s condition deteriorated.”
"As Henry's condition deteriorated, it is clear, and it is absolutely tragic that it took them three minutes before they started to administer first aid. It is important, though, to say that the pathologist has been clear there is nothing officers could have done which would have saved Henry's life.”
Police referred themselves to the Independent Office of Police Conduct immediately after this incident.
That independent investigation is ongoing.
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