Bodycam footage fuels backlash after police handcuff dying stabbing victim

Newly released police bodycam footage is intensifying scrutiny of local police after officers handcuffed an 18-year-old university student who repeatedly told them he had been stabbed and could not breathe moments before dying on a Southampton street.

The video, released Monday following the murder conviction of 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, shows Henry Nowak telling officers, "I’ve been stabbed" and "I can’t breathe" while lying on the ground after the Dec. 3, 2025, attack.

One officer responded: "I don’t think you have, mate," according to the video. 

Police handcuffed Nowak after Digwa claimed he had been the victim of a racist assault, according to court proceedings previously reported by Sky News.

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Reuters reported that officers later removed the handcuffs and attempted CPR after realizing Nowak had suffered serious stab wounds.

Digwa was sentenced Monday to life in prison after being convicted of murdering the 18-year-old University of Southampton finance student with a 21-centimeter blade prosecutors described as a Sikh kirpan-style weapon.

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The case has sparked political backlash in Britain and renewed debate over policing, race and knife crime.

In a statement read outside court Monday, Nowak’s father, Mark Nowak, said his son repeatedly pleaded for help before losing consciousness.

"Henry had been stabbed multiple times, and as his chest filled with blood, he tried to escape. He was chased, abused, and filmed by Vickrum Digwa and others," Mark Nowak said, according to Reuters. "When police arrived, Henry was lying on the floor, barely able to sit up and plainly in severe medical distress." 

"With his final words, he told officers that he could not breathe. He told them he had been stabbed," Mark Nowak said, according to Reuters. "The response from one officer was ‘I don’t think you have, mate,’" he added.

Mark Nowak said the family held Digwa "solely and 100% responsible" for their son's death, but criticized the police, saying, "Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody. The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading."

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said the case showed "the fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder," according to Reuters.

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Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick also called for the release of body-worn camera footage and accused authorities of prioritizing allegations of racism over saving Nowak’s life during an appearance on GB News.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the killing as "an awful, shocking case" and said it was right that the Independent Office for Police Conduct investigate the police response.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, the police force responsible for policing Southampton and surrounding areas in southern England, previously apologized after the conviction, with Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France saying he was sorry that Nowak had been handcuffed "in the moments before he lost consciousness," according to Sky News.

The police force remains under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary for comment but did not receive a response. 

Reuters contributed to this story.