Former officer flees home after false AI-driven murder accusation

A former police officer has been forced to flee to a safe space after she was falsely accused online of being involved in the Henry Nowak murder.

Christi Hill, who served as a police constable for 12 years, has criticised social media and AI platforms, including Elon Musk’s Grok, for spreading the false claim that she was one of the officers who arrested Nowak as he lay dying after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa.

Hill and another officer have been wrongly identified online. The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said on Tuesday that a male officer had been misidentified and that he had had to move out of his home.

Grok has falsely named Hill and the other officer as the “primary officers shown” in the bodycam footage released by Hampshire police. Musk, the billionaire owner of the platform, has shown interest in the case, posting on his X platform during the trial that he would fund a private prosecution of the officers involved.

Hill served as an officer in Portsmouth for 12 years before leaving the force in April 2024 – 20 months before the murder took place.

Hill released a statement: “I am writing this post with a heavy heart, both out of deep sadness for a tragic event and out of a necessity to protect my reputation, safety and peace of mind.

“Today, my name and image have been widely circulated on social media, and now by AI platforms such as Grok, falsely identifying me as one of the arresting officers in the Henry Nowak case.

“To be absolutely clear, I was not involved in this incident. In fact, I left Hampshire constabulary in April 2024. The tragic events involving Henry Nowak occurred in December 2025.

“The confusion stems from a national police bravery award media release. A photo of myself and a former colleague, who has also been wrongfully targeted, is being repeatedly shared and misattributed to this case.”

Hill added: “It is alarming to see how quickly a piece of outdated media can be weaponised by algorithms and accepted as fact by AI platforms, despite being factually impossible.

“It is deeply unsettling to have my name wrongly attached to such a high-profile and sensitive matter whilst there has been a clear lack of support from Hampshire constabulary in rectifying this false narrative in a timely manner.

“My primary thoughts remain with the family affected by this tragedy. They deserve justice and clarity, not the noise of online misinformation. I kindly ask my network to help share this clarification.”

A Hampshire constabulary spokesperson said: “We know there has been significant commentary following the sentencing of Vickrum Digwa and we recognise the desire for answers about the police response that night.

“However, what we cannot accept is the significant spread of misinformation online by those intent on causing further fear and division by making threats to officers and sharing names that are simply not true.

“A police officer unrelated to this case has been misidentified online and subject to death threats.

“The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is continuing its independent investigation into our response on the night in question, following our self-referral the next day. While that progresses, we ask that people avoid harmful speculation online.”

X has been approached by the Guardian for comment.