More Than 200,000 Sign Petition Demanding Charges Against Officers Who Handcuffed Henry Nowak
"Henry was innocent. He was the victim. And the officers who were supposed to help him failed him completely," the petition states.
A petition calling for the arrest of the police officers who handcuffed 18-year-old Henry Nowak after he was stabbed has attracted more than 200,000 signatures since its launch.
The petition states, that on December 3, 2025, officers arriving at the scene failed to recognise that Nowak, an accountancy student at the University of Southampton, was the real victim and instead placed him in handcuffs as he lay critically wounded.
Police body camera footage captured Nowak telling officers that he had been stabbed, to which one officer can be heard responding, “I don’t think you have, mate.”
The petition claims police instead accepted the account given by Nowak’s attacker at the scene, who accused Nowak of being “racist,” an accusation later rejected in court.
The court found Vickrum Digwa guilty of Nowak’s murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The petition argues that the verdict has established that Nowak was innocent and that the officers who attended the scene failed in their duty to provide assistance.
“The lie [Digwa] told that night has been completely rejected by a jury and a judge,” the petition states. “Henry was innocent. He was the victim. And the officers who were supposed to help him failed him completely.”
While the incident is under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the petition notes that the officers who handcuffed Nowak are being treated as witnesses rather than suspects. It also claims that one officer has resigned while three others remain in active service.
Campaigners say this is inadequate and are calling for criminal proceedings against the officers involved in the arrest. The petition urges the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Secretary to consider charges of manslaughter, criminal negligence, and dereliction of duty.
Signatories are also demanding that the IOPC publish its final report in full, without redactions.
The petition also cites Nowak’s father, Mark Nowak, who said his family should no longer have to fight for answers.
“Henry’s father, Mark, has said his family should not have to fight for the truth anymore,” the petition states. “He’s right. They shouldn’t.”