Keir Starmer has said he “felt sick” watching footage of police handcuffing student Henry Nowak as he lay dying, and that there are “serious questions” to answer about the case.
The British prime minister said there needs to be an examination into how “accusations of racism” informed the police’s decision-making in the case.
The killer of finance student Nowak, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, told police attending the scene of the stabbing in Southampton on December 3rd, 2025, that he had been the victim of a racist attack.
In body-worn camera footage from the incident, Nowak can be heard repeatedly saying: “I’ve been stabbed,” to which an officer replies: “Don’t think you have, mate.”
The British prime minister said the footage was “harrowing”, adding: “I have to say, as a father of a 17-year-old boy, I felt sick watching it.”
The police watchdog is expected to report on the case within the next three months.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said investigators are examining a large amount of body-worn video as well as material presented during Digwa’s trial.