He Told Police He’d Been Stabbed. Then They Handcuffed Him: Henry Nowak Was Dying
Serial Napper | True Crime for the Chronically TiredShow Notes
Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak had only recently started his first semester at the University of Southampton. He was studying accounting and finance, playing football, making new friends and building a life away from home for the first time.
On the night of December 3rd, 2025, Henry went out with friends before beginning the walk back to his student accommodation. Along the way, he crossed paths with a stranger.
Less than an hour later, police arrived on Belmont Road following reports of an assault. They had been told who the victim was and who they believed had carried out the attack. But as officers tried to make sense of the scene, Henry was on the ground telling them something was seriously wrong.
He said he'd been stabbed. He said he couldn't breathe. And then he was placed in handcuffs.
What followed would become a murder investigation involving phone recordings, bodycam footage, a missing weapon and a secretly recorded conversation inside a police van. But after the criminal case was over and the public saw footage of Henry's final conscious minutes, his death became the centre of a much larger and increasingly political debate about policing, race and religion in Britain.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvpv2xylgeo
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-statement-on-henry-nowak
https://www.cps.gov.uk/wessex/news/henry-nowak-killers-mother-jailed-after-removing-murder-weapon
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/britain-murder-henry-nowak-debate-race-9.7222123
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/world/europe/henry-nowak-murder-uk-stabbing.html
https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Digwa-Final-Sentencing-Remarks.pdf
https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/henry-nowak-police-transcript-video-b3002166.html
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/solicitor-general-refers-vickrum-digwa-to-court-of-appeal
https://www.aol.com/articles/digwa-dad-brother-plead-not-162315000.html
https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/iopc-investigating-conduct-two-officers-henry-nowak-case
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ2rcv_zGw0
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