Keir Starmer breaks silence on Henry Nowak's murder after being shamed for failure to release statement
Robert Courts discusses the sentence given to Henry Nowak's killer
|GB NEWS
The Prime Minister came under fire after being quick to condemn the US police officers who were convicted following the death of George Floyd in 2020
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Sir Keir Starmer has finally broken his silence on the murder of Essex teenager Henry Nowak after being shamed for failing to release a statement.
The Prime Minister, who was quick to condemn US police officers following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, penned an 89-word response after Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life for killing the 18-year-old with a Sikh ceremonial knife, known as a kirpan.
He said: "This an awful, shocking case. Henry’s loved ones have gone through the trauma of a long trial and endured Henry's killer making up appalling claims about their son who was thoughtful, kind and deeply loved.
"It is right that the IOPC is investigating the police’s response to his senseless murder.
"And we must end the cycle of tragedy by tackling the horror of knife crime.
"Henry’s family, friends, his university and the city of Southampton will continue to feel his loss, and our thoughts will always be with them."
The Prime Minister's statement was released just hours after Digwa, 23, was jailed for life for stabbing the 18-year-old University of Southampton student five times with a 21cm blade that he carried as a symbol of his Sikh faith.
Digwa, who must serve at least 21 years in prison, told police that Mr Nowak had racially abused him before punching him.
However, Judge William Mousley KC concluded the finance student had not racially abused Digwa.
Sentencing the 23-year-old, Judge Mousley said: "I am sure that Henry had said nothing racist.
"You are the only person to make that claim, and it is completely at odds with his previous character."
Police officers who arrived at the scene also faced fury after it emerged they handcuffed the 18-year-old following false reports of a racially aggravated attack, before later discovering his fatal injury.
Hours before Sir Keir broke his silence, Hampshire's Police & Crime Commissioner Donna Jones confirmed she intends to write a letter to the Prime Minister.
She said: "I intend to write to the Prime Minister to request a national review of the laws concerning the carrying of bladed articles under religious exemptions.
“Nothing can bring Henry back. There is no doubt Henry’s last moments were terrifying.
“My thoughts remain with his family and I will do everything I can to ensure this can never happen again in this country.”
Pressure mounted on Sir Keir last week as the Prime Minister faced calls to publicly discuss Digwa's murder.
Speaking to GB News last week, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "And the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, needs to come out and show some leadership on this issue.
"He was right out after the George Floyd incident six years ago, which happened on a different continent. He was out taking the knee straight away.
"And yet here this has happened in the country where he is supposed to be prime minister, and we have complete silence from Keir Starmer. So it's about time he showed some leadership as well."
Meanwhile, Reform UK's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf added at the time: "This is obviously one of the most catastrophic failures in modern British policing.
"Yet, we have not heard a word about it from Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary.
"We've not heard a word about it from Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister. We haven't heard a word about it from Andy Burnham, the man who wishes to replace Starmer as Prime Minister."
Mr Yusuf compared the response directly to the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, sharing an image of Sir Keir taking the knee.