Bodycam footage of dying student handcuffed by UK police sparks protests and political firestorm

The fatal encounter

Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student, was stabbed five times by Vickrum Digwa while walking home from a party in Southampton on 3 December 2025. When police arrived, Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man, told officers he had been the victim of a racist attack and had acted in self-defence. The arriving officers believed Digwa's account.

Bodycam footage released on Monday after Digwa's conviction shows Nowak lying on the ground, repeatedly telling officers in a weak voice that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. One officer is heard saying, "I don't think you were stabbed, mate." The police handcuffed the dying teenager and informed him he was under arrest. Only after Nowak stopped responding did they begin CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

I can't breathe.

Murder conviction and weapon

Vickrum Digwa was sentenced on Monday to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder of Henry Nowak. The murder weapon was a traditional Sikh knife with a large blade, which Digwa hid at his mother's house after the attack. His mother faces court proceedings for concealing the weapon. Digwa's family issued a statement expressing deep regret for the pain caused to Nowak's family.

Protests erupt in Southampton

On Tuesday evening, more than a thousand people gathered outside Southampton police station chanting "Justice for Henry" and denouncing what they called "two-tier policing." The crowd included far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Protesters marched toward the crime scene before confronting officers blocking a road, throwing bricks, bottles, and rubbish bins at police, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned the violence as "shameful," writing on X that nothing justified hijacking the tragedy to fuel disorder. She told the House of Commons that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) would have the resources and independence to conduct a "full, courageous and transparent" investigation.

Everyone in this country is equal before the law.

Political fallout

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "horrified" by the footage and felt nauseous watching it, adding there were "very serious questions" the police must answer. The IOPC investigation is expected to publish its report within three months. Nowak's father described his son's treatment as "inhuman and degrading" and called for the inquiry to be "complete, courageous and transparent."

The case has ignited a sharp political debate. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused authorities of a biased approach, claiming Britain lives under a "two-tier culture" where the rights of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities. He drew a parallel between Nowak's repeated words — "I can't breathe" — and those of George Floyd, the African American man murdered by a white police officer in the United States in 2020, and promoted the slogan "White Lives Matter."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pushed back against Farage's framing, saying she did not want to hear about "Black Lives Matter or White Lives Matter. Everyone matters." She acknowledged something had gone "terribly wrong" in the police response and called for a review of the government's inclusion policies, but warned against turning the episode into a confrontation between communities.

I don't want to hear about Black Lives Matter or White Lives Matter. Everyone matters.

The bodycam footage

The video, shown to jurors during the trial, was released by Hampshire Police after consultation with Nowak's family. It captures the full sequence: Digwa telling officers he was the victim of a racist assault, officers speaking with Digwa before turning to Nowak, the teenager's fading pleas, the handcuffing, and the eventual realisation that he was critically injured. The footage has been viewed as a damning record of how the initial misjudgment by police fatally delayed medical assistance.