An inquiry into the tragic murder of Henry Nowak will examine the role police officers may have played in his death, a coroner has announced.
Henry, a freshman at the University of Southampton, was fatally stabbed by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, who deceitfully claimed to authorities that he had been the target of racial abuse and assault.
Alexis Boon, the chief constable of Hampshire Police, issued an apology to Henry’s family for the distressing incident in which the student was handcuffed and detained while fighting for his life.
On Monday, Digwa received a life sentence, with a minimum term of 21 years, for the murder that took place last year.
The actions of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police have been heavily criticized, particularly for their response to Henry’s cries for help as they restrained him, despite his urgent claims of being stabbed and struggling to breathe.
Digwa’s false accusation that Henry had racially attacked him misled the police and played a critical role in the unfolding tragedy.
The incident is now being investigated by the police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Hampshire’s area coroner Jason Pegg today told a court the inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court would consider whether police actions might have ’caused or contributed to’ Mr Nowak’s death.
Henry Nowak (pictured), a first-year student at the University of Southampton, was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, 23, who falsely told officers that he had been racially abused and attacked
Footage this week revealed how Mr Nowak was handcuffed by police after being stabbed
Vickrum Digwa (pictured), 23, was jailed on Monday for life with a minimum of 21 years after he stabbed Henry Nowak to death last year
He also expressed regret that the inquest had been scheduled for as far off as September 20 next year – though hoped it might be brought forward sooner.
Mr Pegg told Winchester Coroner’s Court on Thursday that Mr Nowak’s death in custody meant the investigative duty under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights had been triggered.
Before adjourning the inquest, Mr Pegg said: ‘After having carefully considered all of the relevant matters before me, I do direct that the inquest touching the death of Henry Nowak be resumed.
‘And I say that being satisfied that there are sufficient reasons including to allow public and family scrutiny of all the circumstances by which Henry came by his death and to meet obligations under Article 2.
‘I will hear the inquest sitting with a jury in due course. I am going to adjourn the inquest to September 20 2027. I recognise that date is some time away. It might be that the inquest is brought forward and I hope that it is.’
Mr Pegg told how Mr Nowak’s medical cause of death was given in a post-mortem examination as ‘a stab wound to chest’.
The coroner said: ‘When Henry Nowak died, he had been arrested – he was in custody of the state.
‘What that means is article two, or the right to life, the investigative duty has been triggered.
Henry Nowak (pictured) was stabbed to death in Southampton on December 3 2025
‘The scope of any inquest where article two is engaged is not simply how someone came by their death, but also in what broader circumstances.
‘I am not satisfied that the investigations that have taken place to date in relation to the death of Henry Nowak have fully discharged the investigative Article 2 obligation.
‘Indeed, those other investigations were not and are not necessarily intended to discharge such obligations.’
Mr Pegg added: ‘The issue in this case is likely to be whether any act or omission by a police officer or any delay in the treatment Henry Nowak received caused or contributed to death.
‘An inquest will allow such scrutiny, it will be a public hearing on the broad circumstances by which Henry came by his death.
‘Having an inquest will allow Henry’s family to effectively participate in those proceedings.’
Political outcry about the murder has centred on how officers dealt with Henry before his death.
The case has prompted accusations that police equality guidance influenced the disparity in how Henry and his killer were initially treated.
Henry’s killer Vickrum Digwa falsely claimed to police he had been racially abused and had suffered an eye injury on the night he carried out the lethal stabbing
Police in the force whose officers handcuffed Mr Nowak felt ‘controlled and pressured to be certain ways’ during mandatory diversity training, it has emerged.
More than 6,000 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers and staff were taught about racism, unconscious bias and the ‘importance of being an ally’.
A survey following the course revealed one in seven participants (16 per cent) had felt ‘controlled and pressured’ to adopt certain ideas during the teaching.
A similar proportion of 14 per cent thought ‘mistakes would have been held against me’, while one in five (20 per cent) feared being ‘rejected for saying the wrong thing’.
The results were in a report by the University of Reading which the force asked to survey officers and staff following the compulsory ‘Inclusion Matters’ course.
Others were more positive – with 84 per cent disagreeing that they felt ‘controlled and pressured’ and 86 per cent disagreeing ‘mistakes would have been held against me’.
The study was revealed as the police watchdog faced pressure to investigate the officers who handcuffed the stabbed student in Southampton as he was dying.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has led calls for the officers who arrested the 18-year-old on bogus racism claims last December to face a full misconduct probe.
And Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggested the public should feel ‘pure, cold rage’ and warned division will get ‘far worse’ if policing culture was not changed.
But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer branded Mr Farage ‘unforgiveable’ for his remarks.
Referring to Henry’s family, who have urged politicians and the public against using the case to sow division, Sir Keir told the House of Commons: ‘That’s his (Mr Farage’s) response to a father who has lost his son and asked for that not to happen.’
Sir Keir also condemned riots on Tuesday in Southampton following the case’s conclusion, which led to the injury of 11 police officers and a police dog.
Matt Styler, 50, has since been charged with assaulting a police officer, and Daniel Frost, 44, has been charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. They will both appear at Southampton Magistrates’ Court today.
The case has prompted comparisons from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch with the murder of 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence in London in 1993, which led to an inquiry that found ‘institutional racism’ in the Metropolitan Police and other forces.
Meanwhile the president of the National Black Police Association has warned of an ‘auto-correction’ to policing in response to Henry’s murder.
Police Service of Northern Ireland officer Andy George told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘There’s definitely lessons to be learned from the Henry Nowak case and if the IOPC sees through their thorough investigation that there are things that need to be done and changed – then certainly that’s the time when things should be looked at.
Floral tributes to Henry Nowak have been left at Portswood police station in Southampton
Protests turned violent in Southampton on Tuesday night in relation to the case
‘For us to go forward and for the policing minister to say ‘that needs to be corrected or looked into right now’ – for us, when we’ve pushed for things that impact black communities or black individuals, we’ve never seen policing move as quick as what they’re advocating for right now.
‘So, I would say it is definitely an auto-correction – it’s very swift, it’s quick – I don’t think it’s as well thought-out as it should be. I think it’s reactive to the current swell that we’re seeing in social media and across different areas of public life at the minute.’
Lucy Rigby, chief secretary to the treasury, said today that it was a ‘slur’ on police officers working to keep the public safe to suggest that two-tier policing is taking place.
But she added that it was the ‘right thing to do’ to look again at police equality guidance, telling Sky News: ‘Really, fundamentally, I think that is a slur on the thousands of police officers that go out to work every day, putting themselves in harm’s way to serve the public, to try and prevent crime, and to keep us all safe.
‘So, I think that the suggestion, in light of that, that we have two-tier policing, which suggests at its heart that the police are on a sort of systemic basis pushing the interests of one group above another.
‘I genuinely think is a slur on all those police officers that are serving this country day and night, seven days a week.’
When asked whether it was possible the NPCC guidance to police had created an unequal system, she said: ‘I think it’s the right thing to do that that guidance is looked at, because the fundamental principle, as you know, that we have in this country is equality before the law.’
