Police Told Henry Nowak 'Don't Think You Have, Mate' After He Said He'd Been Stabbed, Transcript Shows

Hampshire Police are facing mounting scrutiny in the Henry Nowak case as the transcript of newly-released body cam footage revealed that officers repeatedly took eight minutes to notice that Nowak had been stabbed.

It also shows officers repeatedly dismissing Nowak's statements that he was injured and couldn't breathe. In one instance, an officer replies, 'You've been stabbed? Whereabouts? Don't think you have, mate.'

The officers then proceeded to handcuff and restrain Nowak on the gravel.

'Don't Think You Have, Mate'

The crime took place on 3 December, 2025 when Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old Southampton University student, was stabbed by 23-year-old Vickrum Sing Digwa.

Nowak was going home from a night out celebrating the end of term. Along the way, he encounters Digwa. The two had an altercation before Digwa stabbed Nowak multiple times. The latter sustained two deep stab wounds to the legs, a knife-tip wound to the abdomen, a cut to the face, and a fatal stab wound to the chest. Digwa, who lived nearby with his family, asked his mother to hide his dagger. His brother reported the incident to the police.

Four officers responded. Digwa and his brother claimed that the former was the victim of a drunken racial attack, and that Nowak had tried to pull off his turban. The footage showed an officer dragging Nowak across the gravel and handcuffing him, while the victim repeatedly said, 'I've been stabbed. I can't breathe.'

About three minutes into the transcript, another officer notices that Nowak had stopped breathing. It was around this time that the police began performing CPR and radioed for an ambulance. Two and a half minutes later, a female officer asks for a torch and scissors to check Nowak for stab wounds.

It takes her another two and a half minutes to remove his clothing, after which another officer asks if he had been stabbed. She replies, 'Yes, he's got a stab... there's a mark there.' Paramedics continued to attempt to revive Nowak for another hour until a doctor arrived, and recorded his death as 00:37 on 4 December 2025.

Sentencing and Aftermath

Digwa was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years. Solicitor General Ellie Reeves believes this is too lenient, however, and has referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal.

Around the time of Digwa's trial, the force released a three-minute bodycam video showing the officers handcuffing the pleading Nowak.

This video was followed more recently by a longer transcript, which records the instant the officers noticed Nowak's injuries. The actions of the four officers involved are already being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Of the four, one had already left the force for unrelated reasons, and the remaining three had been removed from front-line duties.

The IOPC will also investigate accusations of 'two-tier policing,' while the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) is considering possible changes to its guidelines on'anti-racism commitments.' An inquest on whether or not police action contributed to Nowak's death was opened on 4 June. It has since been adjourned and will be resumed in September 2027.