The family of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old fatally stabbed in 2025, has come forward with serious allegations against Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, claiming officers deliberately misled them and prioritized protecting the department’s image over delivering justice for their son.
In interviews with ITV, the Nowak family revealed that police withheld critical bodycam footage showing the final moments of Henry’s life until it was presented during his killer’s trial — meaning the truth may have remained buried had the case never reached court.
The shocking footage, which later sparked international outrage, captured officers dismissing Henry’s pleas that he had been stabbed. When the dying teenager said he couldn’t breathe, an officer responded, “I don’t think you have, mate,” before proceeding to handcuff him as he lay bleeding on the ground.
“We May Have Been Manipulated in Our Darkest Hours”
Katie Nowak, Henry’s stepmother, delivered a pointed accusation against the police force. “I fear that we may have been manipulated in our darkest hours,” she told ITV. “And I fear that some decisions were made to try and protect the police and their reputation rather than help us as a family.”
She described how the family’s world “changed twice” — first when they learned of Henry’s death, and again when they finally saw the bodycam video that had been kept from them.
The withholding of the footage raises troubling questions about transparency. Had Vikrum Digwa, Henry’s killer, pleaded guilty and avoided trial, the video might never have surfaced publicly, potentially allowing the police response to escape scrutiny entirely.
Constantly Changing Stories
Henry’s father, Mark Nowak, described a pattern of shifting narratives from police that left the family feeling deceived. “The story was evolving every time we had an interaction,” he explained to ITV.
According to Mark, the police account transformed dramatically over time: “What started off as, ‘When the police arrived, we administered first aid’, moved through a stage where: ‘When the police arrived, they detained everyone’… To: ‘We actually only detained Henry’, to then: ‘We handcuffed Henry’, and then: ‘We placed Henry under arrest’.”
“That evolution of what actually happened that night really shocked us, and we felt we were being hoodwinked. We felt we were being not told the truth,” he said.
Initial Police Narrative Cast Victim as Aggressor
In the immediate aftermath of the stabbing, officers told the Nowak family that their son had been the aggressor and even asked them to approve a press release framing Henry as the attacker.
This characterization stemmed from claims made by Digwa and his family that Henry had been racially abusive — allegations that were later thoroughly debunked in court. Digwa’s mother had helped hide the murder weapon, a traditional Sikh dagger used in the repeated stabbing. Both Digwa and his mother have since been jailed.
Despite evidence suggesting Digwa was a serial liar, Hampshire police initially appeared to accept his version of events at face value. The force released a statement implying Henry had started the fight and assaulted Digwa and his brother, only backing away from this position after the Nowak family pushed back.
Adding to the family’s distress, police immediately began questioning them about Henry’s political views after informing them of his death.
Police Watchdog’s Rushed Initial Clearance
The Independent Office for Police Conduct, Britain’s police watchdog, initially investigated the officers’ response and quickly determined they had acted appropriately, finding no need for further action.
However, once the bodycam footage was shown in court and its contents became public, the inadequacy of that initial review became apparent. The IOPC launched a second investigation, and a broader government review of the entire incident has now been announced.
Warnings Against “Misinformation” While Pushing False Narrative
According to Breitbart, in an ironic twist, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary publicly warned citizens about spreading “misinformation” regarding the case online even as the department was promoting what turned out to be a false narrative about Henry being the aggressor.
The force made what was described as a rare intervention to caution the public about supposed misinformation during Digwa’s trial.
Following the release of the bodycam footage and subsequent riots in Southampton, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall reportedly expressed concern about social media amplifying false narratives during periods of unrest. The case has been cited by some in Britain’s political establishment as justification for expanded censorship powers to combat what they characterize as misinformation.
Questions of Accountability
The Nowak family’s allegations paint a disturbing picture of a police department more concerned with managing its public image than with transparency or supporting a grieving family.
The revelation that crucial evidence was withheld until the last possible moment, combined with the constantly shifting explanations provided to the family, has raised serious questions about accountability within Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
For the Nowak family, the ordeal extends far beyond their son’s murder. They now face the reality that the institution responsible for investigating his death may have actively worked to obscure what happened in his final moments.
As the second IOPC investigation proceeds and the broader government review moves forward, the family continues to seek answers — not just about why Henry died, but about why the truth was so difficult to uncover.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/11/02/family-of-handcuffed-stabbing-victim-henry-nowak-accuse-police-of-manipulating-case-to-save-face/