Murder victim told police 'I can't breathe' while handcuffed

Student Henry Nowak who was handcuffed as he lay dying after being stabbed told officers "I can't breathe" nine times, his father has said.

The killer of the 18-year-old Southampton university student, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, lied to police attending the scene of the stabbing in December 2025, that he had been the victim of a racist attack.

On Monday, Digwa was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 21 years for stabbing Mr Nowak with a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith to stab Nowak.

The student's family called his treatment by police "inhumane and degrading" and the force has apologised.

The attorney general's office is considering the jail sentence given to Digwa after receiving "multiple requests" to review it under the unduly lenient sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said an investigation into the police force's actions was ongoing.

Warning: This story contains details some may find upsetting

The trial heard that Digwa lied to police, falsely claiming he was the victim and alleging he had been subjected to racist abuse.

Bodycam footage released by the force, with the family's permission, appears to show Nowak, who had received two stab wounds on the back his legs and a fatal wound to his heart, pleading, "I've been stabbed" while he is being handcuffed.

In the footage a police officer arriving at the scene can be heard asking: "What's your name, mate?" before Mr Nowak, who is lying on his back on the ground, faintly replies: "Henry."

Digwa then steps into the frame claiming Mr Nowak had taken his turban off and grabbed him by the hair.

The officer asks Digwa: "Are you injured?" to which Digwa replies: "Yeah, yeah, I've got a swollen eye here, a little bruise here."

Officers then turn to Nowak who can be heard grunting and repeating "I've been stabbed" and then "I can't breathe" while he is made to sit up to be handcuffed.

The officer can be heard asking: "You've been stabbed, whereabouts?" before adding: "Don't think you have, mate."

While being handcuffed, Nowak says "I can't breathe" another three times.

The officer can be heard saying: "He says he's been stabbed, so let's just check him" and appears to briefly lift his shirt around the belt area before Nowak is left to lie on his side.

A female officer can then be heard asking: "Where do you think he's been stabbed? In the face?" to which a male voice replies: "He hasn't been stabbed."

Nowak, who seems unresponsive, is then told he is being arrested for assault.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said people should respond with "pure cold rage" to the treatment of Nowak.

In a statement he said that "Henry's family have responded to this in just the most extraordinarily dignified way".

"This is wrong. All the values and standards of living in a free country where everybody is judged equally before the law have been trashed and thrown away," he added.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Mr Farage of deepening divisions as she argued that police should treat everyone equally regardless of race.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said it was "an evil murder made so much worse by the police response".

A spokesman for the attorney general said: "We have received multiple requests for Vickrum Digwa's sentence to be considered under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

"The law officers have 28 days from sentencing to carefully consider the case and make a decision."

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones described Novak's death as a "national tragedy".

The Conservative politician said she was meeting with Nowak's family and had written to the prime minster calling for an "urgent review on the carrying of bladed articles for religious and ceremonial purposes".

The Home Office has been approached for comment and the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to make a statement on the case later.

Sir Keir Starmer commented on the case in a post on X, where he said: "This an awful, shocking case.

"We must end the cycle of tragedy by tackling the horror of knife crime."

Under current legislation, practising Sikh's have a legal defence for wearing a small, curved blade, known as a Kirpan, close to their body for religious purposes.

While Digwa had been wearing a traditional kirpan under his clothing, the weapon he used on Nowak was much bigger and he had worn it in a sheath on top of his clothes.

When he asked his mother Kiran Kaur to take it away from the murder scene, he described it as a 'shastar', which is the punjabi word for weapon.

Kaur is due to be sentencing for assisting an offender later this month.

The Sikh community has strongly condemned the killing and told the BBC worries about Digwa's behaviour in the past had prompted them to bar him from one of their places of worship in Southampton. And this happened long before he murdered Nowak.

The Sikh Federation said the blade used by Digwa was not a religious knife, known as a kirpan and the Sikh Press Association said that plans are in process to ensure every initiated Sikh in the UK is addressed directly regarding kirpan rules and responsibility.

The officers who were called to the murder scene are still being treated as witnesses by watchdog the IOPC.

IOPC director Derrick Campbell said: " We acknowledge that this case has raised questions about the actions of the attending officers and we are aware that a few minutes of police body-worn footage has been issued by the force following the conclusion of criminal proceedings.

"As part of our ongoing investigation we are reviewing a large amount of police body-worn footage, which we need to consider in context with other evidence we have obtained, including reviewing material presented during the murder trial, as we establish the full circumstances."