Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered an independent review into the murder of Henry Nowak, a case that triggered allegations of “two-tier policing”.
Speaking in the Commons, Ms Mahmood said former Tory Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk would lead a “rapid” investigation split into two parts.
Ms Mahmood said: “Henry’s case has raised serious and legitimate questions about whether more could have been done to prevent this tragedy, and about the response of public authorities in its aftermath.
“This review will leave no stone unturned in seeking those answers.”
Vickrum Digwa stabbed 18-year-old student Henry Nowak to death in Southampton last December, using an eight-inch ceremonial dagger.
Digwa was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 21 years, in June.
The Sikh defendant did not know the teenager. At the scene, however, he told police what was described in court as a “wicked lie”, claiming Mr Nowak had shouted racist abuse, punched him and knocked off his turban.
The review will examine how police and other criminal justice bodies handled Digwa during the five years before the killing, including whether there were opportunities to prevent the attack.
According to the Home Office, investigators will also assess the involvement of health services, local authorities, educational institutions and faith organisations.
The inquiry’s first stage is expected to deliver its findings by March next year.
A second phase will consider the role of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and, subject to the watchdog’s findings, may also examine police actions.
The murder sparked international outrage. Tech billionaire Elon Musk offered to fund a private prosecution against the police, while MPs called the case a “shocking example of two-tier policing”.
Critics alleged that police allow claims of racism to influence their decisions, creating a biased approach to people from different racial backgrounds.
Following Digwa’s trial, Reform leader Nigel Farage pledged to “root out all traces of two-tier policing from our justice system” and end what he called “anti-White racism within our institutions”.
Southampton Crown Court heard that Digwa had played his “trump card” by falsely accusing his victim of racial abuse.
Police bodycam footage captured Mr Nowak’s final moments. He told officers that he had been stabbed and “can’t breathe”.
One officer responded: “I don’t think you have, mate.”
Henry Nowak, 18, was stabbed to death in Southampton with an eight-inch ceremonial dagger on December 3 last year
Vickrum Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years in June
The case prompted allegations of “two-tier policing” and a protest by several hundred people outside a Southampton police station in June, where violence broke out and a number of arrests were made
In a ministerial statement to MPs, Ms Mahmood said: ‘Today I can announce an independent review led by a former Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk KC.
‘It will investigate what was known about the perpetrator, including any missed opportunities to intervene.
‘It will look at the Nowak family’s experience of the criminal justice system and whether they were supported in the manner they should have been.
‘Once the IOPC has concluded its investigation into the police response, this review will also consider the actions of the IOPC and, if necessary, the police.
‘We must get to the truth of what happened before, during, and after that awful night, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that no family suffers the same fate.
‘We owe that to Henry and to all who loved him.
‘They deserve answers, and this review will provide them.’
She described the crime as an ‘horrific and senseless act of violence’ and paid trbute to the ‘extraordinary courage and dignity’ shown by Mr Nowak’s family.
In a statement, the Nowak family said: ‘At last, some positive news. Today’s announcement of the Henry Nowak Independent Review is a significant moment in our fight for justice.
‘Since Henry was murdered, we’ve fought tirelessly for answers to questions no family should ever have to ask.
‘The emotional toll of that fight, on top of the unimaginable grief of losing Henry, has been immense.
‘We hope this review, alongside the ongoing investigations and inquest, will finally uncover the full truth and deliver the accountability and meaningful change we have fought so hard for.
‘Our experience of the criminal justice system has been deeply disappointing, and we are determined that no other family should have to endure what we have.’
The family added: ‘This is an important step forward, but there is still a long road ahead.
‘We will not stop fighting until we secure the answers, accountability and meaningful change that Henry, and every family in this country, deserves.’
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The bungling officers who responded to the incident detained the fatally injured student, who then died on the street ‘alone, humiliated and handcuffed’, prosecutor Nicholas Lobbenberg KC told Southamton Crown Court in June.
When police arrived Digwa used his ‘trump card’, accusing Mr Nowak of racism – a ‘wicked lie about a dying man’, said Mr Lobbenberg.
On the day Digwa was sentenced Mr Nowak’s father, Mark, accused the police of being ‘inhumane and degrading’ for handcuffing his dying son – but not his killer.
In an excoriating statement on the steps of the court, he condemned the police for not believing his son when he warned them he was fatally injured.
‘Henry was then pulled across the gravel, his hands forced behind his back, and he was placed in handcuffs,’ Mr Nowak Snr said.
‘Instead of being treated as a dying victim, police formally arrested Henry for assault and read him his rights.
‘That was the last thing he heard.
‘Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved.
‘He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.
‘The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading.
‘His murderer, however, was afforded decency, he was believed.
‘He was not handcuffed when arrested, he was not handcuffed when transported to the police station. As far as we understand it, he was never handcuffed at all.’
The grieving father called for a ‘full, fearless and transparent’ investigation into the police’s catastrophic mishandling of his son’s final moments, adding: ‘Our family should not have to fight for the truth.’
The ex-Tory minister leading the review, Mr Chalk, served as Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary from 2023 until the General Election in July 2024.
He said: ‘The murder of Henry Nowak, an innocent young man, at the hands of Vickrum Digwa shocked the nation.
‘Serious questions have been raised about whether agencies and organisations failed to act on complaints about Digwa’s violent and erratic behaviour.
‘My review will follow the evidence without fear or favour.
‘It will also examine how public authorities treated the Nowak family at a time of unimaginable pain. They deserve nothing less.’
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the review and described Mr Nowak’s murder as a ‘shocking failure by the state’.
‘His family have waited far too long for answers,’ she said.
‘Henry was just eighteen when he was murdered. When the police arrived, he would have believed help had come.
‘The lack of common sense and compassion shown to him in his final moments was a shocking failure by the state.
‘His family were then failed in the months that followed.
‘When a child dies, a family is changed forever. They should not then have to spend their lives fighting to establish what went wrong and who was responsible.
‘That is why I called for this review. There must be proper accountability for those who failed Henry and his family.
‘The Conservatives will scrutinise this review to ensure it delivers the answers Henry’s family deserve.’
Digwa will appeal against the length of the minimum term at the High Court next week, while Attorney General Ellie Reeves will separately seek to have the sentence increased as ‘unduly lenient’.
Earlier this month it emerged that the mother of Mr Nowak’s killer, who was jailed for removing the murder weapon from the scene, is to be freed after serving just one-third of her sentence thanks to Labour’s early release scheme.
Kiran Kaur, 53, is due to be let out of jail early in December under a controversial programme that plans to free up to 50,000 offenders a year.
She was jailed for three years on July 17 after being convicted of assisting an offender.
Digwa’s mother Kiran Kaur, 53, who was jailed for removing the murder weapon from the scene, is to be freed after serving just a third of her sentence thanks to Labour’s early release scheme
Kaur will be one of the most high-profile criminals to benefit from Labour’s soft justice programme so far.
It is thought she had spent about seven months in prison on remand before her sentencing, meaning she will be eligible for release in December after completing one-third of her punishment.
Separately, Kaur is also due to appeal against her sentence at the High Court next week.
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