Police watchdog to probe if officers who handcuffed dying student Henry Nowak were influenced by protests at a nearby asylum hotel

By REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR Published: 00:04, 29 June 2026 | Updated: 00:04, 29 June 2026 The police watchdog will investigate whether officers who handcuffed dying student Henry Nowak were influenced by protests at a nearby asylum hotel. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will announce this week that its inquiry into Hampshire Police has widened to consider whether officers mistakenly treated the murder victim as a suspect because of local anti-immigration protests. But the Daily Mail has learnt that the watchdog is sticking to its decision not to investigate the conduct of the individual officers involved, instead treating them as witnesses in their inquiry. In a case which shocked the nation, police arrested and handcuffed the 18-year-old as he lay dying after his killer Vickrum Digwa, falsely claimed he had been racially abused. Earlier this month, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman called for the arresting officers to face a full misconduct investigation after the dying student's cries of 'I've been stabbed' went ignored by an officer who scoffed, 'Don't think you have, mate'. The IOPC has already spent six months examining the circumstances of the appalling case in which police were tricked by the 23-year-old killer shortly after he stabbed Mr Nowak five times on a night out in Southampton last December. Investigators will consider Hampshire Police's arrest of the victim, officers' use of handcuffs and first aid. But the individual officers concerned have not been served with any notice of investigation as the probe is not currently considering individual wrongdoing. The police watchdog will investigate whether police officers who handcuffed Henry Nowak were influenced by protests at a nearby asylum hotel  Police officers pinned fatally injured Henry to the ground as he gasped 'I've been stabbed' and 'I can't breath'. Gurpreet had said Henry was the aggressor Murderer Vickrum Digwa is seen lying to police as he tells them the teenager ripped off his turban in a racist attack. It was revealed to be a 'wicked lie' Vickrum Digwa (pictured) was jailed for a minimum of 21 years after he stabbed Henry to death This week the IOPC will announce the scope of their probe has widened to consider whether local protests about migrants was a contributory factor in officers' thinking. The murder on December 3 last year happened minutes from Highfield House Hotel, where protests have been taking place since May last year when the Home Office began using the site to house about a hundred asylum seekers. In the months before Mr Nowak was killed, tensions in the local area of Portswood were growing after a series of incidents, including the arrest of two asylum seekers for exposure and groping two women walking down a street. Locals described a 'climate of ongoing racial abuse' due to the anti-migrant protests at the hotel. In September police had launched an arson investigation after a flare was thrown through a ground-floor window. The following month a rally ended in violent clashes between migrants and protesters outside the hotel. Police had made five arrests since protests began last summer and issued five dispersal orders, including one in November just days before the murder 500 metres from the hotel. When police arrived on the scene, Digwa, who used a Sikh ceremonial blade to carry out the stabbing, told them: 'This isn't the first time we've had altercations...We've had people racially attack us during the morning.' An IOPC spokesman said: 'We have been updating our terms of reference following recent discussions with Henry's family. Once all concerned parties are notified we will be in a position to provide further information.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.