Developing·Case the developing record
#DC-0013

Henry Nowak

Case file on a Southampton student homicide and related police-response reviews.

Convicted
last updated 25 July 2026 · 11 sources
Confirmed facts
19
Open questions
5
Age
18
Conviction
Convicted
Sentence
Life + 21y
Police probe
Gross misconduct
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Audio brief · automated narration of the sourced record
Transcript

Case file Henry Nowak, reference D C zero zero one three. The Guardian reported that Henry Nowak was eighteen and a first-year accountancy and finance student at the University of Southampton. The Guardian reported that on third December twenty twenty-five, he had been out with football teammates in Southampton, and crossed paths with Vickrum Digwa while walking home alone at about eleven thirty p.m. The Guardian reported that on twenty-eighth May twenty twenty-six, Digwa, then twenty-three, was found guilty of murdering Nowak and possessing a bladed article in a public place. The Guardian and the Associated Press later described his life sentence as carrying a twenty-one-year minimum term. The Guardian reported that Solicitor General Ellie Reeves referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal. The Guardian also reported that Winchester coroner Jason Pegg said Nowak’s inquest would be held before a jury and would analyse police actions. AP reported that the IOPC said two Hampshire officers were under potential gross misconduct investigation. ABC News reported that the IOPC is examining officer actions, control-room decisions, ambulance information, and whether race or religion affected decision-making. It remains unconfirmed what the Court of Appeal, the IOPC, and the jury inquest will conclude. This has been an automated reading of case file D C zero zero one three at developing case dot com. Every fact you heard names a public source.

Timeline of what's confirmed19 entries
3 December 2025
The Guardian reported that Henry Nowak was 18 and a first-year accountancy and finance student at the University of Southampton.
The Guardian, 5 June 2026
3 December 2025
The Guardian reported that Nowak was out with football teammates in Southampton on the night he died.
The Guardian, 5 June 2026
About 11.30pm, 3 December 2025
The Guardian reported that Nowak crossed paths with Vickrum Digwa while walking home alone.
The Guardian, 5 June 2026
28 May 2026
The Guardian reported that Vickrum Digwa, then 23, was found guilty of murdering Henry Nowak and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
The Guardian, 28 May 2026
1 June 2026
The Guardian reported that Digwa was jailed for life after the conviction; later Guardian and AP reporting described the minimum term as 21 years.
The Guardian, 1 June 2026; The Guardian, 15 June 2026; AP, 1 July 2026
4 June 2026
The Guardian reported that Winchester coroner Jason Pegg said Nowak’s inquest would be held before a jury and would analyse the actions of police who attended the scene.
The Guardian, 4 June 2026
4 June 2026
The Guardian reported that the coroner said the likely issue for the inquest is whether any act or omission by a police officer, or any delay in treatment, caused or contributed to Nowak’s death.
The Guardian, 4 June 2026
15 June 2026
There is a reporting discrepancy: The Guardian’s 1 June story described eligibility after at least 20 years, while The Guardian on 15 June and AP on 1 July described a 21-year minimum term.
The Guardian, 1 June 2026; The Guardian, 15 June 2026; AP, 1 July 2026
15 June 2026
The Guardian reported that Solicitor General Ellie Reeves referred Digwa’s sentence to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
The Guardian, 15 June 2026
15 June 2026
The Guardian reported that the Court of Appeal issue is the minimum time Digwa must remain in jail before he can be considered for parole and release on life licence.
The Guardian, 15 June 2026
24 June 2026
The Guardian reported that newly released evidence indicated police officers took about eight minutes to discover Nowak’s stab wound after arresting him.
The Guardian, 24 June 2026
1 July 2026
AP reported that the Independent Office for Police Conduct said two Hampshire Constabulary officers were being investigated for potential gross misconduct over the initial police response.
AP, 1 July 2026
1 July 2026
ABC News reported that the IOPC said evidence indicated the first two officers at the scene may have potentially breached standards on duties and responsibilities, use of force, and discreditable conduct.
ABC News, 1 July 2026
1 July 2026
ABC News reported that the IOPC will examine the officers’ actions, control-room decisions, information passed to attending officers and the ambulance service, and whether race or religion impacted decision-making.
ABC News, 1 July 2026
1 July 2026
AP reported that IOPC official Derrick Campbell said the gross misconduct investigation does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow.
AP, 1 July 2026
1 July 2026
ABC News reported that pathologists found Nowak would have died at the scene regardless of the emergency response, while the inquest has not yet made findings on police acts, omissions, or delay.
ABC News, 1 July 2026; The Guardian, 4 June 2026
17 July 2026
At Southampton Crown Court, Kiran Kaur, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison for assisting an offender by taking the knife from the scene to the family home.
The Guardian, 17 July 2026 · added 25 Jul 2026
24 July 2026
The Guardian reported that Hampshire police freedom-of-information data showed 22 of 37 people detained in Southampton after Digwa was jailed for life had been reported for crimes associated with intimate partner violence.
The Guardian, 24 July 2026 · added 25 Jul 2026
24 July 2026
Hampshire police confirmed that 33 people had been charged in connection with the public disorder; charges are unproven unless admitted or proved.
The Guardian, 24 July 2026 · added 25 Jul 2026
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
Will the Court of Appeal increase, reduce, or leave unchanged Digwa’s minimum term?unconfirmed · appeal review pending · unconfirmed
Will the IOPC find that either officer should face disciplinary proceedings?unconfirmed · IOPC investigation pending · unconfirmed
Did race, religion, assumptions, or community-tension concerns affect any officer decisions at the scene?unconfirmed · IOPC says it is examining this · unconfirmed
What will the jury inquest conclude about whether police acts, omissions, or delay caused or contributed to Nowak’s death?unconfirmed · inquest pending · unconfirmed
What information was given by control-room staff to attending officers and the ambulance service, and did it affect the response?unconfirmed · IOPC says this is under review · unconfirmed
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