UK Police Under Fire for Handcuffing Dying Stabbing Victim

Images of British police handcuffing a dying stabbing victim have ignited controversy and accusations of racist policing practices. The incident, which occurred on December 3, 2025, in Southampton, involved 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was fatally stabbed. Footage released after the killer's sentencing shows Nowak on the ground, repeatedly gasping "I can't breathe" and stating he had been stabbed, while officers engaged with the assailant before restraining the victim.

Vickrum Digwa, a young Sikh man, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, with a minimum term of 21 years. Digwa claimed he acted in self-defense after being subjected to racist insults and physical assault by Nowak. However, the police's decision to handcuff Nowak while he was clearly in distress and succumbing to his injuries has drawn widespread criticism.

Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, denounced what he called "racist police practices" and a "two-tier system" where he claimed white rights are less valued than those of ethnic minorities. Farage vowed to write to the Attorney General to review the murderer's sentence. Far-right activist Tommy Robinson also accused the police of "racist practices targeting white people."

Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party chairwoman, stated on ITV that "something has gone terribly wrong with policing." Opposition leader Keir Starmer had previously condemned the "horrible and shocking case" and supported an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the response to Nowak's "senseless murder."

Nowak's father urged the government to ensure a "complete, courageous, and transparent" investigation, asserting that his son was treated "inhumanely and degradingly" by the police. The deputy chief of Hampshire police acknowledged that officers may have been "misled by the lies" of the attacker, but the handling of the dying victim remains a focal point of public anger and scrutiny.