Henry Nowak’s family say police gave changing accounts after his death

Henry Nowak’s family have accused police of giving them changing accounts of his final moments and initially portraying him as the aggressor after he was fatally stabbed in Southampton.

In an interview with ITV News, his father Mark said the family were first told that officers had immediately given Henry first aid. He said the account changed over subsequent conversations, until the family learned that the 18-year-old had been handcuffed and arrested.

“The story was evolving every time we had an interaction,” Mark said. He also said police had asked him to approve a draft press release portraying his son as the aggressor while he was returning from identifying Henry’s body.

Henry’s stepmother, Katie Nowak, said she felt the family had been failed repeatedly. She said she feared some decisions may have been made to protect the police and their reputation rather than help the family.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Chief Constable Alexis Boon told ITV: “I am incredibly sorry that in his final moments, when he needed us most, we failed him.” He said the family had rightly raised serious concerns about the police response and their treatment during and after the investigation.

Henry was stabbed on 3 December 2025. Body-worn camera footage shown at the trial of his killer, Vickrum Digwa, recorded Henry telling officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe. An officer replied: “Don’t think you have, mate.” Police later removed the handcuffs and began CPR.

Mark and Katie said they first saw the footage on the opening day of Digwa’s trial. The Crown Prosecution Service told ITV that it could not share sensitive evidence with the family until the case was trial-ready because of the risk of prejudicing proceedings, and said it had explained that decision to them.

Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in June, with a minimum term of 21 years before time already spent in custody was deducted. The sentencing judge said Digwa’s lies had misled attending officers and influenced their decision to arrest and handcuff Henry. The judge also said a pathologist had concluded that Henry would not have survived his chest wound, however quickly he received treatment.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct told the family in April that it had not identified concerns serious enough to justify disciplinary proceedings against officers at that stage. In July, the watchdog announced that two officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct. Its investigation is expected to conclude early next year.

A separate independent review into Henry’s murder