Content warning: This article contains details of a fatal stabbing, graphic injuries, and death of a teenager.

Newly released bodycam footage has revealed the final moments of an 18-year-old University of Southampton student who was stabbed while returning home from a night out.

Reportedly, Henry Nowak, 18, was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, 23, in Southampton on Dec. 3, 2025. Bodycam footage now released by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary shows a dying Nowak lying on the floor and telling cops, “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe,” as they approach him.

According to The Independent, the footage shows that the officers initially treated him as a suspect rather than a victim and put him in handcuffs.

In the video, officers are seen asking the teenager his name before putting handcuffs on him.

The footage is understood to have been released with Nowak’s family’s permission and shows that the officers turned him on his side to handcuff him from behind his back. While the police requested medical assistance, the teenager became unresponsive within minutes and couldn’t be saved.

The footage also shows a disheveled Digwa speaking to the officers and telling them that Nowak removed his turban and grabbed him by his hair, injuring him in the process. Nowak, who was from Chafford Hundred in Essex, was just returning home after a night out with his football team friends.

As per a BBC report, the officers originally believed Digwa’s claim that Nowak had racially abused him and that he stabbed him with his Kirpan in self-defense. Kirpan is a ceremonial knife traditionally carried by some Sikhs as an article of faith.

Prosecutors proved Digwa’s allegation wrong, and the court eventually found that he stabbed Nowak five times with a 21-centimeter blade, including a fatal wound to the chest. He then gave the knife to his mother, Kiran Kaur, who tried to hide it. It was later found along with 20 other weapons in his home.

The video was released after Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years. His mother, Kiran, is also due to be sentenced on July 17 as she was found guilty of assisting an offender.

During sentencing, Judge William Mousley KC rejected Digwa’s claims that Nowak started the encounter or racially abused him. He said:

“I am sure that Henry said nothing racist. You are the only person to make that claim, and it is completely at odds with his previous character.”

Since Kirpan is an article of faith and strongly linked to the religious beliefs of Sikhs worldwide, Mousley told Digwa:

“You have brought shame upon your family and your religion.”

Emphasizing the way Nowak died, he added:

“Henry Nowak dying alone, humiliated and handcuffed, was a direct consequence of Vickrum Digwa’s dishonesty.”

Nowak’s father, Mark Nowak, also told reporters outside court that the way his son was treated is “unbearable,” and added:

“Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody.

Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.”

Meanwhile, the weapon used in the attack has become a focus of public discussion as knife crimes increase in the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “an awful, shocking case” and urged action on knife crime.

The Sikh Federation, on the other hand, has stated that the blade used by Digwa was not a religious knife as it is much larger than a Kirpan. They also condemned the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for not making this clear during the trial and demonizing the Sikh community.