Southampton Crown Court has heard distressing details from police bodycam footage during the murder trial of Vickrum Singh Digwa, 23, accused of fatally stabbing 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak. The footage, presented in court, revealed that officers handcuffed Mr. Nowak and initially accused him of assault, despite his repeated assertions of being stabbed and struggling to breathe. Mr. Nowak was later pronounced dead at 12:37 AM on December 3, 2025.
The court was shown the moment officers encountered Mr. Nowak leaning against a house wall in Belmont Road, supported by the defendant's father. According to the footage, Mr. Nowak was heard saying, "can't breathe," and explicitly stated he had been stabbed. Despite these pleas, police placed handcuffs on Mr. Nowak, informing him he was under arrest for suspicion of assault. A male voice on the bodycam footage was heard to dismiss Mr. Nowak's claims, stating, "I don't think you have, mate."
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) Code C guidelines emphasize that police custody officers must ensure a detainee receives appropriate clinical attention as soon as reasonably practical if injured or appearing to be suffering from physical illness. Patients in police custody are entitled to the same standard of care as the general public, with any doubt regarding the need for medical attention to be resolved in favor of calling a healthcare professional.
Further testimony revealed that officers began administering first aid only after Mr. Nowak collapsed, subsequently summoning an ambulance and an airlifted doctor. However, a pathologist, Dr. Jeffrey, told the court that the fatal stab wound, which was 8cm deep and nicked a subclavian vein, was "in a difficult area to find" and that "they would not have been able to do anything about it." Vickrum Singh Digwa, of St Denys Road, Southampton, denies the charge of murder and possession of a blade. His mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, also denies assisting an offender. The trial continues.
