Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old British-Polish student from Chafford Hundred, Essex, was stabbed to death in Portswood, Southampton, in the early hours of December 3, 2025, after an altercation while walking home from a night out with friends. Court evidence in the murder trial of Vickrum Singh Digwa, 23, has raised serious concerns that a racism allegation led police to handcuff the fatally wounded young man, delaying medical aid and denying him both urgent care and the possible opportunity for the Last Rites.

At Southampton Crown Court, prosecutors presented video footage from Mr Nowak’s own phone, which was later found in Mr Digwa’s pocket. The recording captured the exchange, but contained no racial abuse or the alleged removal of a turban claimed by the defence. Mr Nowak suffered four stab wounds, including a fatal chest wound from a 21cm blade.

Mr Nowak had been out celebrating the end of his first semester with friends and was walking along Belmont Road, sending Snapchat videos to acquaintances, when he became involved in an altercation with two men he did not know. A video recorded on his phone, later recovered from the accused’s pocket, captured events leading up to the attack. The footage captured the verbal exchange between the two men but contained no racial slurs or the alleged pulling off of a turban claimed by the defence. The prosecution has alleged that Mr Digwa pursued Mr Nowak and inflicted the wounds. Mr Digwa’s mother faces charges relating to the removal of the knife from the scene.

Bodycam footage reportedly showed the student pleading for help and struggling to breathe. Police initially handcuffed him after Mr Digwa claimed that he had been racially abused and attacked. The court heard that officers began giving Mr Nowak first aid after he collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The family paid tribute to their son as a “kind, intelligent and talented” young man who was embracing university life. Friends and teammates remembered him as well-liked, hardworking and full of promise. A charity football match was later held in his memory.

The case has drawn particular sorrow from Catholics mindful of the Church’s constant teaching on the dignity of the dying and the vital importance of the sacraments in the hour of death. Mr Nowak’s passing without apparent access to priestly ministry echoes the tragic death of Sir David Amess MP in 2021, when police protocols similarly prevented the possibility of the administration of the Last Rites.

In both instances, questions remain about whether police procedural decision-making denied the immediate needs of a dying man.

Mr Nowak, who was studying accountancy and finance at the University of Southampton, was remembered by family and friends as a kind, intelligent, hardworking and well-liked young man with a promising future.

Mr Digwa denies murder and possessing a knife in public, claiming self-defence. His mother, Kiran Kaur, denies assisting an offender. The prosecution maintains that the racism allegation is not supported by the available evidence from the victim’s phone recording.

As the trial continues, prayers are offered for the repose of Henry Nowak’s soul and for solace for his bereaved family.