Police took EIGHT minutes to discover Henry Nowak's stab wound: Unedited transcript reveals moment officers realised murdered student was not breathing after he was handcuffed

By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT Published: 13:34, 24 June 2026 | Updated: 13:38, 24 June 2026 Police took eight minutes to find the stab wound that killed Henry Nowak, it emerged today.  The 18-year-old bled to death last December after being handcuffed by officers who believed claims by his Sikh killer, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, that he had racially abused him.  Bodycam footage, which sparked riots in Southampton, showed officers initially ignoring the dying teenager when he said he had been stabbed, with a male officer telling him 'I don't think you have, mate'.  Amid intense public criticism of the police response, Hampshire Police has released a transcript of the full recording. It reveals the moment officers realised Henry was not breathing, prompting frantic efforts to save him.  The transcript begins with Henry lying on a gravel drive with his hands cuffed behind him. At that point, officers had been at the scene for around three minutes and had called for an ambulance.  The male officer says, 'I'm not sure he's breathing', before checking Henry's pulse and confirming, 'He's not breathing'.  He then removes the handcuffs as his female colleague tells medics to bring a defibrillator.  The two officers start to move Henry, accidentally hitting his head on a wall, before they take turns carrying out chest compressions while telling the teenager to 'stay with us'. Police officers pinned fatally injured Henry to the ground as he gasped 'I've been stabbed' Henry was arrested on a Southampton street last December after being attacked Medics on the phone give the officers CPR advice, telling them to 'push, push, push'. Ambulance teams arrive but officers continue giving CPR until the medics are ready to step in.  Male officer: Has he been stabbed there? Female officer: Yeah, he's got a stab... there's a mark there. Male officer: That makes it worse. He's got a stab... I'm pushing on a [swears] stab wound. [Sound of clothing being ripped] Female officer: That's okay. It's fine. It's not... it's not coming out. It's fine. Keep going. Keep going. It's not bleeding out. Male officer: [Continues chest compressions] As they start to cut Henry's clothing from his chest, the officers are horrified to see blood coming from his nose, and become increasingly panicked.  After all of Henry's clothes are cut away, the extent of his injuries becomes even more apparent.  'Has he been stabbed there?' the male officer asks, before saying he was 'pushing on a [swear word] stab wound'.  When a paramedic runs up to them, the male police officer explains they have 'just discovered a stab wound' in Henry's chest.  Around nine minutes after police arrived at the scene, the transcript ended at 11.46pm on December 3, 2025, when paramedics took over.  The transcript, obtained by the BBC, comes amid an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the way officers responded to Henry's stabbing.  At Digwa's sentencing, Judge William Mousley KC said: 'The genuine shock to the particular police officer, when he realised that he had been giving CPR to Henry when he had a serious chest wound tends to show that he was doing his best in a very difficult situation'. He also described how officers had been given a 'convincing but wholly false narrative' of the incident. Vickrum Digwa was given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in prison for the murder Police have apologised to Henry's family but said the pathologist who spoke in court was clear 'there was nothing officers could have done that day to save Henry' as his fatal wound had caused 'extensive' internal bleeding.  The teenager's treatment sparked fresh claims of 'two-tier policing', with critics suggesting officers had disbelieved Mr Nowak when he said he had been stabbed, because he was white.   Current National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) guidance highlights a need for 'not treating everyone the same or being colour-blind'. Sir Stephen Watson, the anti-woke Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, has called for the guidance to be 'revisited' to rebut accusations officers are treating people unfairly.  He said: 'Fairness isn't getting involved in the language of activism and social engineering. 'It's that which led us into conflict with the perception of reality. I certainly understand how it came about and I'm certainly concerned that we address that.' Referring to NPCC guidelines, Sir Stephen said: 'We have in some contexts adopted the language of activism. 'This is something we need to revisit, refresh and make sure that whatever we produce has the effect of doubling down on our impartiality.' Digwa was given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in prison for stabbing Mr Nowak with a ceremonial knife with a 21cm blade, that he claimed he carried as part of his Sikh religion. Henry's treatment prompted furious accusations of 'two-tier' policing  He had previously been investigated by police in 2023 on suspicion of stealing ceremonial blades from a Sikh temple in Southampton but no further action was taken. His comments come after Henry's family, who have met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, said they want a return to 'common-sense policing'. Meanwhile, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised police for replacing 'thinking with box ticking'. Speaking earlier this month, she said officers are juggling 'race action plans, political pressure and activist expectations' – and criticised policing's senior leaders, 'who have allowed these ill-advised frameworks to take hold'. Mrs Badenoch said 'just like Stephen (Lawrence's) shocking killing in 1993, Henry's death at the hands of an assailant who lied about claims of racism needs to be a turning point.' No comments have so far been submitted. 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