Henry Knowak

UPDATE — September 2026: Vickrum Digwa has been granted permission to appeal the length of his sentence. His appeal will be heard on 5 November 2026 — on the same day the Attorney General will argue that his sentence was too lenient and should be increased. An 18-year-old university student had just been fatally stabbed. But when police arrived, the man responsible told officers a very different story. On 3 December 2025, University of Southampton student Henry Nowak was stabbed in Belmont Road, Southampton. His attacker, Vickrum Digwa, later claimed that Henry had racially abused and assaulted him. Police initially believed that account. Henry was handcuffed as he repeatedly told officers that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. Moments later, he lost consciousness. He died at the scene. What followed became one of the most controversial murder cases in Britain in 2026. Body-worn police footage later revealed Henry pleading for help while Digwa continued giving officers a false version of events. A jury ultimately convicted Digwa of Henry’s murder, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years. But the story did not end with the conviction. The police response itself is now under scrutiny. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has said that two officers are being investigated for potential gross misconduct over possible failures to recognise Henry’s need for urgent medical attention and the decision to arrest and handcuff him rather than immediately provide first aid. Independent Office for Police Conduct In this episode of Evidence Bag Stories, we examine: - what happened on Belmont Road - the conflicting accounts given that night - what the police bodycam recorded - how investigators established what really happened - the conviction and sentencing of Vickrum Digwa - and the questions that remain about the police response