The family of Henry Nowak fear they were 'manipulated in their darkest hours' by detectives and the police watchdog in the months after the 18-year-old's murder.
asserted
they → fear → murder
The student was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in Southampton last December then handcuffed as he lay dying after his Sikh attacker falsely accused him of racial abuse.
asserted
attacker → stab → abuse
In police body-worn camera footage, Mr Nowak could be heard repeatedly saying 'I've been stabbed', to which an officer replies: 'Don't think you have, mate.'
Digwa, 23, was later jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years in June – and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation.
uncertain
Office → wear → investigation
Now, Mr Nowak's father Mark and his stepmother Katie, his mother Lucy and older sister Olivia, have spoken in a new ITV documentary about the aftermath of his death.
asserted
mother → speak → death
They told 'Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice', airing on ITV this Thursday, about their dealings with police and their trauma over how Mr Nowak was treated by officers.
asserted
Nowak → tell → officers
The family claim that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary (HIOWC) initially suggested to them that Mr Nowak was the aggressor, rather than his killer Digwa.
uncertain
Nowak → claim → killer
Police allegedly told the family that officers had immediately administered first aid to Mr Nowak, before admitting he had actually been handcuffed and arrested.
uncertain
he → tell → Nowak
Henry Nowak's father Mark Nowak (left) and stepmother Katie Nowak (centre), speak with ITV News UK editor Paul Brand (right) in the new documentary 'Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice'
Henry Nowak was stabbed in Southampton last December then handcuffed as he lay dying
The programme also contains claims that the IOPC told the family in April there was 'no evidence' of any misconduct by officers on the night Mr Nowak was killed.
uncertain
Nowak → speak → night
The family only saw the disturbing police bodycam footage of Mr Nowak's arrest several weeks later, on the first day of Digwa's trial at Southampton Crown Court.
asserted
family → see → Court
Katie said: 'I do feel that we have been failed multiple times.
asserted
we → say → ?
I fear that we may have been manipulated in our darkest hours.
uncertain
we → fear → hours
And I fear that some decisions were made to try and protect the police and their reputation rather than help us as a family.'
asserted
decisions → fear → family
The Nowaks claim they began to doubt the police account of Mr Nowak's murder in the hours after they were told he had died.
uncertain
he → claim → hours
'Quite early on something didn't feel right to us because we were being told that Henry was the aggressor, or it was certainly being alluded to,' Katie said.
asserted
Katie → feel → us
Hours after being told Mr Nowak was killed, the family say they found a post on the Southampton Police Facebook page suggesting that Mr Nowak had started the violence, stating that 'two individuals were attacked by an unknown man'.
asserted
individuals → tell → man
Katie said: 'We then knew that unknown man to be Henry - so, even reading that was so shocking.'
asserted
reading → say → that
The following day, while Mark was driving home from identifying his son's body in Southampton, he said he was called by police to approve a press release that would name his son for the first time.
asserted
that → drive → time
But Mark said that in this draft release, his son was again depicted as the 'aggressor'.
'
asserted
son → say → aggressor
That was a statement that essentially identified the victim,' Mark said.
asserted
Mark → identify → victim
'So, tarnishing the victim's name at that stage was shocking for me to hear... as I was on the way back from identifying my son's body.'
asserted
I → tarnish → body
ITV News UK editor Paul Brand (left) speaks to Mr Nowak's sister Olivia (second right) who revealed she alerted her mother Lucy Ross (far right) to the police arriving at the family home
asserted
police → speak → home
The family said police also asked them about Mr Nowak's political views, as well as their own.
asserted
police → say → views
Lucy said: 'I did think at the time, it's a really strange question.
asserted
it → say → time
You've just been told your son's been murdered and then they asked that.'
asserted
they → tell → that
The family believe police initially believed Digwa's lies that he was the victim of a racist attack by Mr Nowak, before realising their mistake.
asserted
he → believe → mistake
Mark said the family were initially told that when police arrived at the scene, 'they noticed Henry was in a serious state and they immediately started to administer first aid'.
asserted
they → say → aid
But in the weeks that followed, the family claim they were then told that Mr Nowak had in fact been handcuffed and arrested before officers tried to help him.
uncertain
officers → follow → him
'The story was evolving every time we had an interaction,' Mark explained.
asserted
Mark → evolve → interaction
'What started off as, "When the police arrived, we administered first aid", moved through a stage where: "When the police arrived, they detained everyone"...
asserted
they → start → everyone
To: "We actually only detained Henry", to then: "We handcuffed Henry", and then: "We placed Henry under arrest".
asserted
We → detain → arrest
'That evolution of what actually happened that night really shocked us, and we felt we were being hoodwinked.
asserted
we → happen → us
We felt we were being not told the truth.'
Digwa used his eight-inch blade to stab Mr Nowak five times – delivering the fatal blow to his chest.
Police initially dismissed Mr Nowak's pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe, before finally discovering the fatal stab wound to his chest while performing CPR, eight minutes after arriving on scene.
uncertain
he → feel → scene
Police officers pinned fatally injured Mr Nowak to the ground as he gasped 'I've been stabbed'
But even as Digwa's trial approached earlier this year, the IOPC still allegedly insisted to the family that there was no evidence of misconduct by the officers at the scene.
uncertain
IOPC → pin → scene
A letter to the family from the IOPC dated April 10 states: 'After careful consideration of the available evidence, the decision was made... that no HIOWC officers would be subject to conduct or criminal investigation.
asserted
officers → date → conduct
This was because there were no concerns identified in relation to officer actions.'
asserted
This → be → actions
Katie said: 'We had no reason to doubt this letter.
asserted
We → say → letter
So, when we finally got to see that video in court, we were so shocked.'
asserted
we → get → court
Weeks later on the first day of Digwa's trial, the family finally watched the police bodycam footage which revealed how officers attended to Mr Nowak.
asserted
officers → watch → Nowak
Mark and Katie watched the footage for the first time in a small side room in Southampton Crown Court.
asserted
Mark → watch → Court
A transcript revealed that Mr Nowak's final words before he died were, 'Please, brother.
asserted
he → reveal → ?
…and 65 more, not listed.
The Aporia
