Hampshire Constabulary chief constable Alexis Boon has apologised to the family of murdered student Henry Nowak following outrage over officers who arrested the dying 18-year-old
The chief constable of Hampshire Constabulary has apologised to the family of Henry Nowak, who died after being stabbed to death in Southampton.
Vickrum Digwa was sentenced for the murder of Nowak on Monday (June 1) with police bodycam footage of night of the horror attack being released. An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the handling of the incident, which saw Nowak placed in handcuffs, is currently underway regarding the four officers involved.
The shocking footage resulted in protests outside the police station in Southampton last night (June 2), which turned violent by a group of individuals reacted to riot officers after peaceful scenes.
Killer Digwa lied to police attending the scene of the stabbing in Southampton on December 3, 2025, and claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack.
Body-worn camera footage from the incident showed Nowak, who had received two stab wounds on the back his legs and a fatal wound to his heart, repeatedly pleading “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe” while being handcuffed.
His appeals for help were also ignored by officers with one responded to the dying student “don’t think you have, mate.”
Now Hampshire Constabulary chief constable Alexis Boon told Nowak’s family that he is “very sorry they’re having to go through this”.
He went on to say the force upstands why the family are upset with the police and added: “We completely get it.”
In a message to Nowak’s family, Boon said: “I want to say to the family, we understand, we get it, we know why they are so distraught and upset, which is why we made the apologies.
“It is a tragedy from start to finish and I’m really pleased to see that the killer was sentenced to life imprisonment.
“Our officers conducted an investigation that resulted in that. I’m hopeful that is some degree of comfort for the families, but they will, as they have been saying, be dealing with this for the rest of their lives.
“I’m very sorry they’re having to go through this and we do understand why they are upset with the police. We completely get it.”
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