Nowak family tell of 'unbelievable pain' of seeing footage of dying son handcuffed
Dear Henry: Our Fight for Justice, a Tonight special, airs on Thursday, 5 November, at 21:00 on ITV, ITVX and ITV News YouTube channel
The family of Henry Nowak have said the trauma of learning he had been murdered was made worse by watching police footage of officers handcuffing him as he lay dying.
They told ITV their “world has changed twice”, first when they were told he had died, and again when they watched the body-worn camera video.
His killer, Vickrum Digwa, falsely told police Henry had racially abused him, and officers handcuffed the student as he repeatedly said he had been stabbed.
His father Mark, stepmother Katie, mother Lucy and sister Olivia were speaking to ITV for the documentary Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice.
Henry Nowak, 18, was fatally stabbed in Southampton in December 2025
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced an independent review into the murder, led by former lord chancellor Alex Chalk, which will look at “any missed opportunities to intervene”.
Henry, 18, was stabbed five times as he walked home from a night out with friends from his football team in Southampton on 3 December 2025.
It took officers another 24 hours to identify Henry’s body and tell his family.
“I jumped out of bed and I saw the police car on our driveway,” said Katie.
“One of the police officers was holding his hat in his hand, and I just knew straight away that something horrific had happened.”
She said Mark fell to his knees when he heard the news.
“He let out a cry that I’ll never forget,” she said.
“I just remember saying ‘it’s Henry’ and breaking down in tears,” Mark said. “It’s just unbelievable pain.”
Mark Nowak fell to his knees after learning that his son Henry had been murdered
Officers went to Lucy’s home at the same time.
“We got that dreaded knock on the door at one o’clock in the morning,” she said.
“They said to me, ‘Do you have a son called Henry?… There’s been an altercation. And unfortunately, your son has passed away’.
“No words, no words can explain that feeling.”
Olivia said she rang her father after hearing the news. “I just remember this scream. It was awful. He screamed ‘My boy, my boy’,” she said.
She now keeps some of Henry’s T-shirts on his bed and told ITV they still smell of him and give her comfort.
But Lucy said she could no longer enter his bedroom because of the memories it holds.
Coats now hang over the bedroom door so she does not have to look at it as she passes.
Olivia Nowak and Lucy Ross were told of Henry’s death when police knocked on their door in the early hours
The murder caused widespread political outrage when the footage emerged.
In the video, Henry can be heard repeatedly saying “I’ve been stabbed”, to which an officer replies: “Don’t think you have, mate.”
It is also looking at whether race, religion or prejudice affected police decisions.
The watchdog said it expected its investigation to conclude early next year.
“In the last year, our world has changed twice,” Katie said.
“The first time was the night that we were told that Henry had died. And the second time was when we watched that video.”
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