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CPS Transcript Shows Police Took Eight Minutes to Find Teen’s Stab Wound

Recording officers handcuffing the dying 18‑year‑old who said he had been stabbed, the transcript has prompted an IOPC probe with a coroner’s inquest set for next year.

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A protester holds an image of Henry Nowak outside Portswood Police station in Southampton, Hampshire, during a protest following the death of the 18-year-old student. Picture date: Sunday June 7, 2026. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Crown Prosecution Service released a longer transcript on June 24 that shows officers took about eight minutes to locate the chest stab wound of 18‑year‑old Henry Nowak after arresting him in December 2025.
  • Body‑worn audio captured Nowak repeatedly saying “I’ve been stabbed” while an officer told him “Don’t think you have, mate,” and later saying “I’m not sure he’s breathing” before handcuffs were removed and CPR began.
  • Vickrum Digwa was convicted of Nowak’s murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years after the court found his claim that he had been racially attacked was a false narrative.
  • Hampshire Police have apologised, said officers were misled, and have self‑referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct which is investigating the force’s response; a jury inquest is due at Winchester Coroner’s Court next year.
  • The case has intensified debate over police race guidance and rules on ceremonial blades after reports that Digwa used a 21cm ceremonial knife he said he carried for religious reasons and that he had faced a prior 2023 inquiry.