Petition Seeking Manslaughter Charges Against Officers in Henry Nowak Case Hits 160,000 Signatures Amid Misinformation Concerns

A petition calling for manslaughter, criminal negligence and dereliction of duty charges against the officers who handcuffed Henry Nowak has passed 160,000 signatures. The petition also demands the full, unredacted publication of the Independent Office for Police Conduct report.

The IOPC is investigating the circumstances of the 18-year-old's death in Southampton on December 3 2025, including whether any officers committed misconduct.

Vickrum Digwa, who stabbed Nowak five times with a Sikh ceremonial blade, received a minimum 21-year sentence last Monday. Bodycam footage showed Nowak repeatedly telling officers he had been stabbed and could not breathe before losing consciousness. " Nowak's hands were forced behind his back and locked in handcuffs while he lay face down as an officer read him his rights.

Police were first called after Digwa falsely claimed he had been racially abused by Nowak. GB News reported that anger over the officers' actions has grown since Digwa's sentencing. Christi Hill, who worked for Hampshire Police for 11 years but was not employed by the force at the time of the incident, told GB News she has received regular death threats after being misidentified as one of the officers involved.

"I've received death threats, threats of extreme violence. People are trying to find my family or people that know me. It has been really tough to read the comments - it has been an absolute onslaught," she said.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the Commons on Tuesday that a male police officer wrongly identified in connection with the case has been taken into hiding. "Misinformation and inflammatory commentary is making a dreadful situation even worse," she said. " IOPC engagement director Derrick Campbell said the investigation will establish whether misconduct occurred.