Newly Released Video Shows Moment Henry Nowak’s Sikh Killer Repeatedly Lies to Police Telling Them His Dying Victim Was ‘Racist, Drunk and Hadn’t Been Stabbed’

Newly released bodycam footage today reveals the lies Vickrum Digwa told police after killing Henry Nowak – and how differently he was treated to the young man he murdered.

Digwa falsely accused Henry of being racist, claiming he had called him a ‘p*ki’ and acted as the drunken aggressor who ‘escalated the situation’ – as he stood unhandcuffed while medics performed CPR just yards away.

An officer at the scene repeatedly calls the attacker ‘mate’ and, moments after arresting him, reassures him: ‘I’m not saying you’ve done anything.’

Digwa again insists: ‘But I’ve been racially attacked.’ The officer replies: ‘I know, mate, I know.’

The previously unseen footage also shows that, despite being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, Digwa was never handcuffed.

In contrast, Mr Nowak was restrained on the ground as he bled to death, repeatedly saying: ‘I can’t breathe.’ He also told an officer he had been stabbed – only to be told: ‘Don’t think so, mate.’

Digwa told what have been confirmed to be ‘wicked lies’ about Henry, trying to portray him as the aggressor and a racist.

He never tells officers he stabbed him and claims any wounds were because he ‘fell over’.

The footage also shows Digwa’s hair tied neatly on top of his head. But by the time police swarmed the scene, footage shown in court reveals it was hanging loose – in a cynical and cruel attempt to support his claim that Henry had torn off his turban.

He told officers: ‘He grabbed me, then started grabbing my turban, pulled my hair, started punching me and all this sort of stuff.’

In the video, Digwa also claims Henry’s injuries were caused by him climbing on bins and ‘stumbling around’ – rather than being stabbed at least six times with a ceremonial Sikh sword.

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The footage, released to the BBC by police and the CPS, shows scenes at 11.47pm as paramedics try to save Henry after officers handcuffed him and failed to believe his claims he had been stabbed.

Digwa’s father Moga Singh can be heard explaining to the police: ‘My son’s just been assaulted. The gentleman that’s on the floor assaulted my son.’

As ambulance workers carry out CPR, police speak to Vickrum Digwa, who immediately claims he was attacked for being Sikh.

‘He pushed my turban off my head, started grabbing my hair. I’m a Sikh, obviously,’ he said.

‘He was grabbing at my hair, dragging me around, and from there an altercation happened. He’s started stumbling around.

‘I saw him from the get-go. I was like, ‘Mate, you’re clearly drunk. Carry on with your day.’ He then escalated the situation, calling me a ‘p*ki’ and all that sort of stuff.’

He then claimed his family had repeatedly suffered racist attacks in the past.

‘This isn’t the first time something like this has happened,’ he said, adding: ‘We’ve lived here since I was four and five and I’ve had it recently.’

As Henry lies dying behind him, Digwa complains about the blue lights from emergency vehicles.

He then asks police to ‘turn the flashes off… so it’s not too much in my eyesight’.

They moved and Digwa continued: ‘This isn’t the first time we’ve had altercations. Not even altercations, we’ve had people racially attack us during the morning.’

An officer asked: ‘Do you know how he’s got that wound then?’

Digwa responded: ‘What wound, sorry?’

The officer clarified: ‘Well you said he’s got blood on him, how’s he… how’s he?’

Digwa lied in his answer, saying: ‘It must have been when we punched him. Must have been when we punched him.

‘But he did fall over here, so he was climbing all over these bins and stuff like that and then he’s fell over and landed onto that car.’

The nine-minute video is then muted as officers check his personal details.

A male officer then speaks to him, saying: ‘This is really important, OK? The time now is 11.55.’

Digwa replies: ‘I’m tired.’

The officer continues: ‘OK, it’s important, mate. At this time, I’m arresting you on suspicion of attempted murder, OK?’

Digwa appears shocked as the officer reads him his rights.

He says: ‘What do you mean, attempted murder? Why am I getting arrested?’

The officer replies: ‘You’ve got your side of the story, mate. We don’t know what’s gone on here, OK? So we need to find out, OK?’

Digwa again says: ‘But I’ve been racially attacked.’

The officer replies: ‘I know, mate, I know,’ before adding: ‘I’m not saying you’ve done anything, mate.’

Hampshire Police has now apologised to Henry’s family for the way officers treated him before he died.

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