Police Officer Resigns After Henry Nowak Bodycam Footage Released

ByMF Jones

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officer has resigned following the release of bodycam footage showing 18-year-old University of Southampton student Henry Nowak being handcuffed as he lay dying from stab wounds.

Nowak was stabbed five times by Vickrum Digwa, 23, who then lied to police that Nowak had assaulted and racially abused him.

Officers accepted Digwa’s version of events and instead of administering first aid, pinned Nowak to the ground and handcuffed him…

Nowak repeatedly says “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe”. An officer responds: “Don’t think you have, mate,” before arresting the dying teenager. Nowak lost consciousness and died in handcuffs shortly after.

Hampshire Police confirmed that one officer involved has resigned. The other three attending officers remain in service and are currently being treated as witnesses.

On Monday this week, Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years for murder.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the force’s actions and is expected to deliver its findings within three months. Hampshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, has additionally called for an urgent independent inspection of the force.

Despite this officer’s resignation, I’m sure they won’t get to go unpunished if the investigation finds them culpable in Henry Nowak’s untimely death. Even if the teenager would have died anyway, surely there has to be repercussions for the sheer incompetence that was on display that night.

It’s possible this officer and their colleagues at the scene will be banned from policing ever again and that will be that. So maybe they’re just getting ahead of the inevitable in that regard.

Meanwhile, it’s chaos on the streets of Southampton as ‘patriots’ turn up to protest the incident.

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