BBC Newsnight descended into visible discomfort as presenter Victoria Derbyshire hosted a segment on the horrific Henry Nowak bodycam footage.
An ex-police officer, appearing as guest, stated plainly that the officers’ actions were “unfathomable.” Derbyshire attempted to suggest the police might be forgiven for stumbling onto a complex, fast-moving situation. The ex-officer refused to soften the truth, noting that when a person on the ground is bleeding out and repeatedly telling officers he has been stabbed, basic procedure demands immediate medical priority — not handcuffs and dismissal.
The exchange captured everything wrong with institutional responses to this case.
“Really?!” – BBC presenter didn’t get the answer she wanted from Labour MP Johnathan Pinder – Asking if he can put himself in the police officers shoes that arrested Henry Nowak applied handcuffs.pic.twitter.com/18oj5fTcEj
Henry Nowak, just 18 years of age, lay on the ground in Southampton on 4 December 2025, bleeding heavily from stab wounds inflicted by Vickrum Digwa. He told officers clearly and repeatedly: “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe.”
Officers dragged him across gravel, applied handcuffs, and focused instead on Digwa — who stood complaining about a minor eye bruise — and his family’s immediate racism allegations.
Click through on the following post if you want to watch the body cam footage.
Horrific. Horrible to watch, but needs to be seen. The murderer complains he's 'hurt' because he's got a slightly swollen eye where Henry Nowak desperately tried to defend himself from being stabbed to death.https://t.co/ZbVqsGrbp7
Digwa was never handcuffed at the scene. Later reports indicated he received preferential treatment in custody, including the ability to choose his own meals.
The ex-officer on Newsnight was correct. Standard training leaves no ambiguity: assess medical needs and threats on arrival. A person stating they have been stabbed and cannot breathe requires urgent action. Handcuffing him while he bleeds out, while accepting the word of the man who stabbed him and his family, is indefensible.
Source: modernity
