Two British police officers are under investigation over their treatment of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student who was handcuffed instead of being given first aid after they arrived to find him lying on the ground, dying from stab wounds. 

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Wednesday it had notified two Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers that they were under investigation for potential gross misconduct. The watchdog said evidence indicated they may have failed to recognize that Nowak needed urgent medical attention, respond immediately after he said he had been stabbed and could not breathe, and provide first aid before arresting and handcuffing him. 

Nowak was fatally stabbed in Southampton in December 2025 after being confronted by 23-year-old Vickrum Singh Digwa, who falsely claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack. Prosecutors said Digwa stabbed Nowak five times, including a fatal wound to the heart, before hiding the victim’s mobile phone in his pocket. In May, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years after the court rejected his version of events. 

The IOPC said the officers, who were first on the scene, may have breached professional standards relating to duties and responsibilities, use of force, and discreditable conduct. 

IOPC Director of Engagement Derrick Campbell stressed that issuing gross misconduct notices “does not necessarily mean that disciplinary proceedings will follow,” adding that investigators would determine at the end of the inquiry whether either officer should face formal disciplinary action. 

Bodycam footage released last month showed Digwa repeatedly telling officers he had been attacked in a racist assault, claims a judge later found were entirely false. 

The footage also showed officers handcuffing Nowak as he lay on the ground repeatedly saying he had been stabbed and could not breathe. One officer replied: “Don’t think you have, mate.” 

Nowak was dragged across gravel, arrested on suspicion of assault, and left in handcuffs as he lost consciousness and bled to death. 

His father said his son “did not die with dignity” and described the officers’ actions as “inhumane and degrading.” 

The incident sparked protests and unrest in Southampton, where 25 people were later charged with violent disorder. 

The killing reignited debate in Britain over policing, immigration, and violent crime, with critics arguing that police and politicians have focused on policing speech, protests, and “hate incidents” while failing to tackle knife crime and violent offenders. 

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the case was “proof, if ever there was any,” that Britain was “living in a two-tier culture” where “the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities.”  

Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged there were “serious questions to answer.” He nevertheless condemned the subsequent unrest as “disgraceful and completely unacceptable.”