Henry Nowak (L) and Vickrum Digwa (R)
A newly released police bodycam transcript has revealed that officers took around eight minutes to discover the fatal stab wound that killed 18-year-old Henry Nowak, after being misled by convicted murderer Vickrum Singh Digwa’s false account of what had happened.According to a transcript released by the Crown Prosecution Service, the disclosure sheds new light on the final moments of the finance student from Chafford Hundred, Essex, whose death sparked national outrage after footage emerged showing him being handcuffed and arrested shortly before he lost consciousness in Southampton.Prosecutors said Digwa misled responding officers by claiming Nowak had knocked off his turban in a racially motivated attack, leading police to initially treat the teenager as the suspect.Bodycam footage shows Nowak repeatedly saying he had been stabbed and struggling to breathe, prompting one officer to respond: “You’ve been stabbed? Whereabouts? Don’t think you have, mate.”
Horror discovery after eight minutes
The turning point came more than seven minutes into the incident when officers finally cut away Henry’s clothing.According to the CPS-released transcript, a female officer then found what appeared to be a stab wound.”Yes, he’s got a stab… there’s a mark there,” she said. The male officer immediately realised the gravity of the situation, replying: “That makes it worse. He’s got a stab… I’m pushing on a f****** stab wound.”Moments later, as paramedics arrived, the officer informed them: “We just discovered a stab wound in his chest.”The BBC reported that timestamps in the transcript indicate officers took nearly eight minutes from arriving at the scene to identify the fatal chest wound.The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary cited evidence from the trial indicating there was nothing officers could have done to save Henry because the wound had caused extensive internal bleeding.The Independent reported that the Independent Office for Police Conduct is continuing its investigation into the police response, while a jury inquest next year will examine whether any police action or omission contributed to Henry’s death.
