Watchdog probes Hampshire officers over handcuffing of dying Henry Nowak

Two Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers are under investigation for potential gross misconduct after Henry Nowak was handcuffed as he lay dying from stab wounds in Southampton. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said the officers, who were first to reach the scene on Belmont Road late on the evening of December 3, 2025, may have breached standards on duties and responsibilities, use of force and discreditable conduct.

In practical terms, that means the watchdog is not deciding whether anyone committed a crime. It is testing whether the officers’ actions fell so far below expected policing standards that they crossed the highest internal disciplinary threshold, a line that can separate a force apology from a finding that an officer should not have remained in post.

The criminal case against the man convicted of the killing has already ended. Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life at Southampton Crown Court on June 1, 2026, with a minimum term of 21 years after being convicted of murdering the 18-year-old finance student from Chafford Hundred, Essex, and carrying a bladed weapon in public.

Body-worn footage showed Nowak repeatedly saying he had been stabbed as officers approached him, while Digwa falsely told police he had been the victim of a racist attack. The video then showed officers handcuffing Nowak moments before he became unconscious and died at the scene. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary later apologised for not realising the extent of his injuries, and Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said he was sorry that Henry could not be saved and sorry that he had been handcuffed and arrested in his final moments.

The release of the footage has driven public anger far beyond a single misconduct file. Around 300 people protested outside Southampton Police Station, and the case sparked wider arguments about policing, race, knife crime and trust. Far-right figures also tried to exploit the tragedy, even as Nowak’s family urged people not to weaponise his death.

One officer involved in the bodycam footage has resigned, and the force has said the remaining three serving officers are being treated as witnesses. The watchdog’s inquiry now sits at the center of the accountability chain, asking what officers did in the minutes before Nowak died and whether the police response met the standards the public is entitled to expect.