Police officer receives death threats after being wrongly identified in Henry Nowak murder case

A police officer has received death threats and has been “forced to relocate to protect himself and his family" after being wrongly identified online as being involved in the Henry Nowak murder case, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.

Footage emerged of the student, 18, handcuffed by police while he lay dying after the man who stabbed him told officers he had racially abused him.

The attack took place on December 3 last year, when the teenager was stabbed several times with a Sikh ceremonial blade known as a "kirpan" by Vickrum Digwa, 23, in Southampton.

Digwa has since been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years, with other members of his family either charged or under investigation for assisting the killer.

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Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary released body cam footage of the aftermath of the incident, where police officers failed to help Mr Nowak as he lay dying on the ground.

Officers handcuffed Mr Nowak, with Digwa insisting he was, in fact, the victim.

The case has sparked outrage at alleged two-tier policing in Britain, with calls of condemnation over officers' actions and the justice system at large.

Hampshire Police Federation has condemned calls for “vigilante justice” against officers over the case, with some wrongly identified on social media as having been involved, with personal details such as their home addresses published.

The Home Secretary today told the Commons: “A police officer, unrelated to this case, has been misidentified online and subjected to death threats.

“He has been forced to relocate, to protect himself and his family.

"Misinformation and inflammatory commentary is making a dreadful situation even worse.”

Ms Mahmood said the murder of Mr Nowak by Vickrum Digwa was a “horrifying” and “evil act”, adding “we cannot allow it to turn communities against one another”.

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She added a "dangerous undercurrent" had been triggered in response to the "awful crime", condemning the threats made against police officers.

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France – who apologised for the officers' actions – said the force had been misled on the phone call and faced an "extremely complex" crime scene.

Judge William Mousley KC dismissed Digwa's claims of racism in court and stated the killer had "stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country, which have made many Sikhs worried about their safety".

Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley, formerly a DCI for the Met Police, told GB News he was "disappointed" with the actions of officers on the scene, but attempted to defend the "complexity" of the situation.

He said: "Those police officers were not as rapid as they could've been at identifying there was something wrong with Henry.

"The problem you have is it's late at night, there was no blood on the scene and no blood on his clothes, and they were given a load of nonsense on calls."

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