Henry Nowak’s family welcome independent review into his fatal stabbing

Henry Nowak’s family have described an independent review into his murder as “positive news at last”, after the case raised questions about how police responded when the teenager was found injured. Nowak, 18, died after being stabbed in Southampton in December 2025. Vickrum Digwa, then 23, was convicted of his murder in June and sentenced to life in prison. The case drew widespread attention after it emerged that officers arrested and handcuffed Nowak following Digwa’s false claim that he had been the victim of a racist attack. According to the report, Nowak told police that he had been stabbed, but one officer responded: “I don’t think you have, mate.” The circumstances surrounding the arrest and the response to his injury became a source of public anger after the murder trial. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs in the House of Commons that an independent review would examine the case. It is to be led by Alex Chalk, the former Conservative justice secretary who lost his seat at the 2024 general election. Nowak’s family welcomed the announcement, calling it a positive development after the events surrounding his death. Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of assisting an offender by removing the knife used in the attack. The report also said that more than a dozen people were arrested after an anti-police protest turned violent shortly after Digwa’s verdict.