LONDON – Britain’s independent police oversight body announced Wednesday that two British law enforcement officers are facing a potential gross misconduct investigation after body camera footage captured them handcuffing an 18-year-old stabbing victim as he lay dying. The case, which has already sparked public outrage and rioting in southern England, also includes a parallel probe into whether racial or religious bias influenced the officers’ actions on the scene.
The two officers are members of Hampshire Constabulary, the first emergency responders to reach the attack site in Southampton, a coastal city in southern England. The incident dates back to December 2025, when 18-year-old Henry Nowak, a white man, was fatally stabbed by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa. Immediately following the attack, Digwa, who identifies as Sikh, fabricated a false narrative that he himself had been the target of a racist attack initiated by Nowak.
Body-worn camera footage from the officers’ uniforms documented Nowak’s final minutes alive, showing the teenager in handcuffs as he told the responding officers he had been stabbed and was struggling to breathe. When the footage was made public, it sent shockwaves across the United Kingdom, drawing widespread condemnation of the officers’ response.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the national body that oversees allegations of police misconduct in England and Wales, confirmed that the two officers are suspected of violating multiple professional conduct standards. Alleged breaches include failures in meeting core duty and responsibility requirements, inappropriate use of force, and conduct that brings disrepute to the police service. The watchdog is also formally examining whether the officers’ decision to treat Nowak as a suspect rather than a victim was shaped by racial or religious prejudice stemming from Digwa’s false claim.
Derrick Campbell, IOPC’s director of engagement, emphasized that the launch of an investigation does not guarantee disciplinary action will follow the probe. “At the end of our investigation, we will decide whether any officers should face disciplinary proceedings,” Campbell stated in an official release.
The tragedy has already become a flashpoint for political unrest in the region. Following Digwa’s murder conviction last month, where he was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in prison, far-right activists and politicians seized on Nowak’s death to push unsubstantiated claims that the British justice system holds inherent bias against white people. The rhetoric erupted into violent public disorder in Southampton in the wake of the sentencing, leaving communities on edge as the misconduct investigation unfolds.