Keir Starmer says the public is owed answers after police bodycam footage showed a stabbing victim handcuffed on the ground, repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe, as his killer stood nearby. The prime minister said he "felt sick" watching the Dec. 3, 2025 footage of dying university student Henry Nowak and said investigators must examine how officers' decisions were shaped by Sikh killer Vickrum Digwa's false claim that he was the victim of a racist attack. Digwa, 23, was jailed for life on Monday for murdering the 18-year-old white man with a large blade he said he wore for religious reasons; the attorney general is now reviewing whether his 21-year minimum term was too light, per the BBC.
The handling of the case has fueled protests in Southampton, some promoted by far-right figure Tommy Robinson, where riot police clashed with demonstrators who threw bricks on Tuesday night. Eleven officers and a K9 were injured, per the BBC. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned the unrest and warned against hijacking the killing to inflame division, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the case was evidence of "anti-white prejudice," per the AP.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is probing officers' actions, with three still serving and one resigned. Henry's family, who called his treatment "inhumane and degrading," say he told officers nine times that he couldn't breathe and four times that he'd been stabbed. In one instance, an officer responded, "Don't think you have, mate." The sentencing judge said Monday that Novak would not have survived his injuries even with immediate first aid, per the BBC. Digwa's mother is awaiting sentencing for assisting an offender, after attempting to hide the murder weapon, and his father and brother are facing weapons charges.
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