UK watchdog investigates officers over handcuffed stabbing victim death

Britain’s police watchdog has opened a gross misconduct investigation into two Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers over the death of Henry Nowak, the 18-year-old student who was handcuffed as he lay dying after being stabbed in Southampton. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is examining whether the officers failed to recognize that Nowak needed urgent medical attention, whether they acted properly after he said he had been stabbed and could not breathe, and whether arresting and handcuffing him instead of giving immediate first aid breached professional standards.

The two officers were the first to arrive at the scene late on 3 December 2025, and the inquiry began after a mandatory referral from the force on 4 December 2025, the day Nowak died. The current stage began only after criminal proceedings ended. The review also covers control room staff, the handling of calls and the information passed to the ambulance service, alongside possible breaches of duties and responsibilities, use of force and discreditable conduct standards. Investigators are also examining whether race or religion influenced decisions at the scene.

Body-worn footage reviewed by the IOPC showed Nowak repeatedly saying he had been stabbed and could not breathe before he was handcuffed moments before becoming unconscious. One officer responded skeptically, saying, “I don’t think you have, mate.” Derrick Campbell, one of its directors, reviewed the footage alongside evidence from the murder trial and met Nowak’s family in early July 2026 after receiving formal complaints from them. Serving gross misconduct notices does not automatically mean disciplinary proceedings will follow, the IOPC said.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life on 1 June 2026 with a minimum term of 21 years after falsely claiming the attack was racist. That claim helped shape the early police response. Protests outside Southampton police station followed, where a few hundred people chanted “I can’t breathe.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there were “serious questions” about how allegations of racism informed police decision-making, while Nowak’s family called the treatment “inhumane and degrading” and urged that his death not be used to deepen division.