The family of Henry Nowak have stated that their son “would have hated” the riots that erupted following his death, as they accused some politicians of playing a “game” with their son’s murder.
Nowak was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa last year. During the incident, he was handcuffed by police as he lay dying while his attacker falsely accused him of racial abuse.
In the weeks that followed, demonstrations took place in Southampton, drawing figures including the leaders of Ukip and Britain First, along with the Portsmouth branch of the National Rebirth party. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage delivered an emergency address demanding the public respond with what he termed “pure cold rage” and calling for an end to “two-tier policing.”
Speaking in an interview for the ITV Tonight documentary Dear Henry: Our Fight for Justice, the family emphasized that they had worked hard to keep politics out of their son’s story. Nowak’s mother, Lucy Ross, criticized those who tried to use her son’s death to advance wider political arguments.
“I suppose that’s the game they play, and I can’t do anything about that. But when they think it all links together – no, it doesn’t,” Ross told ITV. “Olivia’s lost her brother, and I’ve lost my son. I’m not interested in your political game.”
Ross added that she wants to know why Henry was on the floor and treated the way he was, contrasting it with how that family was treated. Mark Nowak told ITV that his son “was not a divisive person” and the political response to his murder “didn’t sit with Henry’s values or our values”.
The Ongoing Independent Investigation Into Police Conduct
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed that its investigation into potential failures in the police response to the stabbing is expected to wrap up early next year. A letter sent to the family by the watchdog in April said that, after “careful consideration of the available evidence”, no officers “would be subject to conduct or criminal investigation”.
🚨 The family of 18-year-old Henry Nowak have spoken in heartbreaking detail about the devastating events surrounding his murder and the moment they discovered what had happened to their beloved son and brother. But what makes their story even harder to hear is what they later… pic.twitter.com/Eq3KJUW0cg
The IOPC letter explained that there were no concerns identified in relation to officer actions and decisions that would be so serious as to justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings, should they be proven or admitted. However, the watchdog noted that the decision not to investigate attending officers would be “kept under review throughout the life cycle of the case”. By July, the IOPC announced that two officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct.
Protesters subsequently marched outside Southampton Central Police Station and near Portswood Police Station on June 2, 2026, expressing anger over the police’s handling of the detention of victim Henry Nowak.
External Review Commissioned by the Home Secretary
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has commissioned an independent review of the case, including the IOPC’s involvement, led by the former lord chancellor Alex Chalk, to examine whether there were “any missed opportunities to intervene”.
Speaking to ITV, Mahmood said she had been “very moved by the dignity of the family in how they’ve handled this awful situation which none of us can ever imagine being in”, adding that they deserve answers and she is committed to making sure that they get them.
