Newly obtained police body-worn camera footage from the night of Henry Nowak’s death has exposed the web of lies told by his killer, Vickrum Digwa. The footage, released following a request by the BBC, sheds light on the events surrounding the murder of the 18-year-old Southampton university student, who was stabbed multiple times last December. Digwa is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years.
The video documents Digwa repeatedly claiming to officers that he had been subjected to a racist attack and insisting that Henry had been heavily intoxicated. The footage also supports claims made by the Nowak family, who reside in Chafford Hundred, Essex, that Digwa was not handcuffed during the incident. This contrasts sharply with the treatment of Henry, who was handcuffed by police while he lay dying. Henry’s father, Mark Nowak, has previously described the disparity in their treatment as unbearable and inhumane.
In the video, Digwa falsely alleges he was acting in self-defense, claiming that Henry had pushed him, pulled his hair, and grabbed his turban after calling him a racial slur. However, evidence presented at Southampton Crown Court showed that Henry’s blood alcohol level was low, and visual evidence suggested Digwa’s claims of a struggle involving his hair were inconsistent with his appearance upon police arrival. While Digwa claimed his hair was messy from a fight, bodycam footage showed it neatly tied up immediately after the stabbing.
The footage records Digwa complaining about emergency vehicle lights and questioning why he was being arrested for attempted murder while medical professionals performed CPR on Henry. Tragically, because Digwa failed to disclose that he had stabbed the teenager, officers were initially unaware of the injury, delaying life-saving treatment by eight minutes. Henry was declared dead at 00:37 GMT on 4 December 2025.
During sentencing, Judge William Mousley KC noted that Henry was a kind and ambitious young man who had been defenceless. The judge concluded that a physical struggle likely occurred after Digwa snatched Henry’s phone. Hampshire police have since issued an apology to the Nowak family, and an investigation into police actions by the Independent Office for Police Conduct is ongoing. Additionally, the attorney general’s office has referred Digwa’s sentence to the Court of Appeal as potentially unduly lenient, and a full inquest into the death is scheduled for next year in Winchester.
