Newly released police bodycam footage exposes the persistent and "wicked lies" told by convicted murderer Vickrum Digwa on the night he fatally stabbed 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak in Southampton.

 

Murderer of Henry Nowak shown in new footage lying about facing racist attack

Newly released police bodycam footage exposes the persistent and "wicked lies" told by convicted murderer Vickrum Digwa on the night he fatally stabbed 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak in Southampton. The video, released following a public request by the BBC, captures the immediate aftermath of the December 2025 attack, documenting how Digwa manipulated first-responding officers while Nowak lay dying nearby.

 

Content of the Newly Released Footage

The footage reveals Digwa weaving a fabricated narrative to divert blame and mask his brutal actions:

• The False Racial Narrative: Digwa repeatedly insisted to officers that he had been "racially attacked" by Nowak. He falsely claimed that Nowak called him a racial slur, pulled his hair, and knocked off his turban.
• Character Defamation: Digwa lied that the 18-year-old student was "obviously drunk" and aggressive, despite a subsequent trial confirming Nowak’s blood alcohol levels were well below the drink-drive limit.
• Minimizing the Injuries: Digwa falsely told police that Nowak's severe wounds were merely from a "punch" or from "falling over" while climbing on bins, completely concealing the fact that he had stabbed the teenager five times with an 8-inch ceremonial Sikh kirpan.
• Disturbing Lack of Remorse: As paramedics aggressively performed CPR to save Nowak's life just feet away, the video captures Digwa complaining about the flashing emergency vehicle lights and asking officers to move him so they would not bother his eyesight.

Exposure of the Deception

During the trial at Southampton Crown Court, prosecutors completely dismantled Digwa’s claims of self-defense. Video evidence taken shortly after the stabbing—but right before police arrived—showed Digwa’s hair neatly tied up, proving his claims about his turban being aggressively ripped off were fully staged before the bodycam started rolling. The judge concluded that Nowak had said nothing racist and that Digwa’s account was an entirely fabricated justification for murder.

Intensified Police Scrutiny & Public Backlash

The release of this new video has amplified the national outrage surrounding Hampshire Police's handling of the tragedy:

• The Handcuffing Contrast: The footage confirms that while the dying victim was handcuffed and treated as a suspect based on Digwa's lies, Digwa himself was never handcuffed at the scene or during his four days in custody.
• Delayed Medical Assessment: Because officers initially believed Digwa's fabrications, they dismissed Nowak's initial statements that he had been stabbed, taking eight minutes to locate his fatal chest wounds.
• The Family's Response: Mark Nowak, Henry's father, called the stark contrast in treatment "unbearable, inhumane, and degrading," emphasizing that his son did not get to die with dignity. The family continues to demand a transparent accounting through the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years. His mother, Kiran Kaur, was also convicted of assisting an offender. Due to intense public backlash regarding the leniency of the term, the Solicitor General has referred Digwa's sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme