Police officers have condemned calls for “vigilante justice” against their colleagues over the handling of the murder of Henry Nowak, who was falsely accused of racism by a Sikh man who had fatally stabbed him with a ceremonial dagger.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.
Hampshire police released footage from body-worn cameras showing Nowak being handcuffed despite repeatedly telling police officers that he had been stabbed. At one point an officer tells him: “I don’t think you have, mate.”
Digwa, who falsely claimed he had been racially abused and attacked by Nowak, is seen lying to police that the teenager knocked his turban off and caused an eye injury.
The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, has called for “pure cold rage” over the disturbing case, which has sparked widespread criticism including on social media.
Now, Hampshire Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in the constabulary, said in a statement: “The Police Federation condemns in the strongest possible terms the calls for mob or vigilante justice against officers we have seen in recent days.
“That has included police officers being wrongly identified as being involved in the incident and personal details such as home address being widely published.
“We call on politicians of all parties and media commentators to be more responsible in their comments – and allow due process for the officers involved to ensue.”
Meanwhile, the attorney general’s office is considering whether Digwa’s sentence should be reviewed, as the killer’s family apologised to the victim’s relatives and the Sikh community.
The attorney general’s office said it had received “multiple requests” to review it under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
A spokesperson for the office said: “The law officers have 28 days from sentencing to carefully consider the case and make a decision.”
Digwa used what the judge described as a “large Sikh dagger” to stab Nowak to death in December 2025.
In a statement issued via the Sikh Press Association on Tuesday, members of Digwa’s family expressed sorrow for the Nowak’s family’s suffering. They said: “We love Vickrum. We will continue to love him. That love does not stand in opposition to the sorrow we feel for the Nowak family.
“We apologise to the Sikh community for our son’s actions which have unfairly brought the community into disrepute. We ask that this tragedy is not used by anyone to inflame division or hostility towards any community.”
The police and crime commissioner for Hampshire is leading calls for a review of religious exemptions on the carrying of knives after the murder.
Donna Jones described the stabbing of the university student as a “national tragedy” and said she was writing to the prime minister, Keir Starmer, about the issue.
Jones said: “Henry was falsely accused of racially aggravated assault as he lay dying on the ground, while his attacker stood by denying the violent act he had inflicted upon him.
“It is devastating the officers did not believe Henry when he said he’d been stabbed and couldn’t breathe. His death is a national tragedy. Central to this incident is the fact that Vickrum Digwa was able to carry a knife in public because there is an exemption for those who observe the Sikh faith to carry ceremonial daggers.
“I intend to write to the prime minister to request a national review of the laws concerning the carrying of bladed articles under religious exemptions.”
The Cabinet Office minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said the footage was harrowing, telling the BBC: “The conduct of the police at the scene is shocking.”
But he did not suggest the UK government would examine the exemption allowing Sikhs to carry knives.
He said: “There is an exception in terms of carrying bladed articles in public places for particular religious and ceremonial reasons.
“And whilst, of course, we’ve been tightening up the law, we’ve banned things like terrible zombie knives, we’ve tightened up the law in terms of online purchasing of knives, it’s not about looking, I think, more broadly at that particular exception.
In what he billed as an emergency address to the nation, Farage, said people should respond with “pure cold rage” .
He said: “An accusation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder.”
Hampshire police have apologised for their actions, which received global attention after being criticised by the owner of X, Elon Musk. The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, is investigating.
Speaking outside court, Nowak’s father, Mark, criticised how police had treated his son, whom he described as friendly and inclusive.
He said: “Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. We hold Vickrum Digwa solely and 100% responsible for the brutal murder of our son. But Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody. The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading.”
Nowak added: “We are calling on the government to treat knife crime as the national emergency that it is.”
The prosecution told the jury at Southampton crown court that while Digwa was wearing a small kirpan (a ceremonial sword or dagger worn by initiated Sikhs) under his clothing around his neck, which met his religious obligation, he also chose to carry the much larger knife.
Judge Mousley KC described the weapon Digwa was carrying as a “large Sikh dagger”. He said practising Sikhs were allowed to be in public with a bladed article, but said that privilege came with huge responsibility.
Following last week’s verdict, the UK Sikh Federation said in a statement: “Fully practising Sikhs who wear a Kirpan should continue to recognise the serious responsibility that accompanies it, together with the limited legal protection that exists for wearing it for genuine religious purposes.”
The federation said it believed the large blade used by Digwa “was not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs”.
“That’s what we wanted to clarify – that actually the perpetrator used an item which can only be called an offensive weapon,” it added.
The body-worn footage was shown during the trial. Hampshire police said it had talked with Nowak’s family about its release.
