“I Can’t Breathe”: Police Handcuffed Dying Teen After Attacker Accused Him of Racism
Police appeared to find it more believable and more contemptible that a White teenager was a racist than a victim, and that may well have cost him his life.
“I can’t breathe.”
These are not just the final words of George Floyd, the drug-impaired career criminal whose death the world was forced to watch on endless repeat for months. These are the final words of 18-year-old British student Henry Nowak after being stabbed four times and then handcuffed by police because his immigrant attacker accused him of being racist.
On December 3, 2025, in Southampton, Henry, a first-year student at the University of Southampton, was allegedly repeatedly stabbed by 23-year-old Indian migrant Vickrum Digwa using a 21cm “ceremonial” Sikh blade.
When police arrived at the scene, Digwa played the race card, and accused his victim of using racially abusive words. Officers then handcuffed Henry, despite his repeatedly telling officers that he had been stabbed. “I don’t think you have, mate,” a male voice on police body camera footage can be heard saying.
The implication is that police accepted Digwa’s claim that Henry was a racist, while dismissing Henry’s repeated claims that he had been stabbed. In other words, police appeared to find it more believable and more contemptible that a White teenager was a racist than a victim, and that may well have cost Henry his life.
Officers reportedly only began administering first aid after he collapsed unconscious. Henry died at the scene, drowning in his own blood.
While the attack itself was not directly witnessed, neighbours nearby reportedly heard Henry crying out that he had been stabbed and was dying while attempting to escape his attacker by climbing over a fence. A blood trail shown in court suggested that Henry had already suffered a fatal injury. Prosecutors allege Digwa then “chose to aggressively pursue him.”
Rather than seeking medical help for the teen he allegedly stabbed four times, Digwa stole his phone and accused him of racism. The court heard Henry’s phone was later found in Digwa’s pocket.
Digwa’s mother was also allegedly filmed removing the knife from the scene and taking it back to the family home, where police later recovered it.
Chances are, you haven’t heard much about this story—or anything at all. Not unless you’re on social media and someone brought it to your attention. The media has largely ignored it. Something we certainly know they would not do if the attacker were White and the victim brown.
What’s more, there’s been no global protests, no state-funded memorials, no endless new cycles, and no international hashtag campaign against brown-on-White violence.
And why is that? Because this case, like many similar stories, cuts directly against the narrative the media and political establishment have been peddling for years: “White man bad.” As such, they’re often averse to presenting White people as victims and non-Whites as aggressors.
In fact, it appears to be such a non-event that even the police officers who allegedly handcuffed the teen while he bled to death are reportedly still employed, with no arrests, charges, or identifiable consequences.
Compare that with the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in the United States. All four Minneapolis police officers involved were fired, prosecuted, and convicted in state and federal courts. Derek Chauvin received 22.5 years on state charges and 21 years federally. Tou Thao received 4.75 years on state charges and 3.5 years federally. J. Alexander Kueng received 3.5 years on state charges and 3 years federally. Thomas Lane received 3 years on state charges and 2.5 years federally.
So, what’s the difference? Henry Nowak wasn’t a career criminal with a history. He was White, and a brown man accused him of saying something “racist.”
Well, the silence over Henry’s death has sparked growing anger online. Today, Elon Musk has drawn attention to the case with a series of posts on his social media platform X.
“There were massive international protests over George Floyd, and those police involved were severely punished with long prison sentences, yet the police responsible here did not even lose their jobs,” Musk wrote. “An incredibly unjust double-standard.”
He also reposted another comment that claimed that police acted out of racial prejudice against “the White indigenous populations of Europe,” responding simply: “Absolutely.”
To date, no officers’ names have been publicly released, and there are no confirmed reports of suspensions, criminal charges, or disciplinary outcomes.