On 1 June 2026, Vickrum Digwa was sentenced for the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.
Henry was a young man with his whole life ahead of him. He was a first-year university student, loved by his family, and described in court as kind, hard-working, ambitious and full of promise. His life was taken in the most dreadful circumstances.
Nothing can undo that loss. Nothing can give Henry back to his family. But even after a guilty verdict and sentence, serious questions remain about what happened in the moments after Henry had been stabbed.
The court heard that Henry was alone and unarmed. It also heard that Digwa gave police a false account, including a claim that Henry had racially abused him. Henry, who had been stabbed, was initially arrested and handcuffed before officers realised how serious his condition was. Hampshire Police have apologised, and the response has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
As a former nurse, I find this deeply troubling.
In any emergency, the first question should always be: who is injured, who is deteriorating, and who needs immediate medical assessment?
That does not mean police officers are not placed in difficult, fast moving and dangerous situations. They often have to make decisions with incomplete information, under pressure, and in circumstances that are confusing and unclear. That must be acknowledged.
The court also heard that Henry’s fatal chest injury was not survivable, even with immediate first aid, CPR or expert medical treatment. That is important, and it would be wrong to suggest that a different first response would definitely have saved his life.
But that does not remove the question.
A person who says they have been stabbed and cannot breathe must be treated first and foremost as a potential medical emergency. Visible injury, distress, breathing difficulty and a report of stabbing should trigger immediate assessment. Before blame, before assumption, before accusation, there must be the basic human duty to preserve life and dignity.
This is where public confidence has been shaken.
Why was a dying young man treated first as a suspect? Why did a false allegation appear to carry such weight in those first moments? Why did officers not believe Henry when he said he had been stabbed and could not breathe?
These questions are not about denying that racism is serious. Racism is serious. False allegations of racism are also serious. But neither should ever be allowed to obscure the most urgent question at an emergency scene: is someone injured, and do they need help now?
There is also a wider issue here about policing culture, training and confidence. Officers must be able to respond to allegations of racism properly, but they must also be able to assess the reality in front of them. A serious accusation should be investigated. A serious injury should be assessed immediately.
The two should not be in competition.
The responsibility for Henry’s murder lies with the man who killed him. That must remain clear. This must not become an excuse to target any wider community or faith group. The court was clear that Digwa’s actions, his lies and his abuse of trust caused enormous harm.
But it is also right that public bodies face scrutiny when something appears to have gone so badly wrong.
Henry Nowak deserved care, dignity and belief in his final moments. His family deserve answers. The public deserve confidence that, in this country, when someone is injured and crying out for help, the first response will be medical urgency, not assumption.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation must now be full, transparent and fearless.
Justice in court matters. But so does public trust. So does accountability. And so does the simple principle that life must come first.