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Henry Nowak's family challenges police account of his final moments

ITV News pairs the family's first interview with bodycam footage and questions about the police watchdog's handling of the case.

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ITV News Story of November 4, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of ITV News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 577,775 views.

Henry Nowak's family criticise police as they speak out for first time about his murder

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:10Distressing bodycam footage shows officers restraining Henry while he says he has been stabbed and cannot breathe.
5:05Katie Nowak describes an April IOPC letter finding no grounds for proceedings against officers at that stage.
8:05Alex Chalk discusses his review into Henry's case and concerns about the police watchdog.
12:04Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expresses confidence in the IOPC while awaiting the review's conclusions.
13:50Paul Brand reports that the police force has apologised and acknowledged failing Henry in his final moments.

Police told Henry Nowak's family that officers had immediately given him first aid. The bodycam footage they later saw showed him being handcuffed and arrested as he lay dying, ITV News reports.

Speaking to UK Editor Paul Brand, the family describes the distance between what they were initially told and what they eventually learned about the response to the 18-year-old student's fatal stabbing in Southampton.

The report contains distressing footage of officers restraining Henry while he says he has been stabbed and cannot breathe. His father, Mark Nowak, returns to the place where his son was attacked.

The family says police initially presented Henry as the aggressor. According to ITV, they did not see the bodycam footage until the first day of his killer's trial. His mother, Lucy Ross, says they were not told everything; his stepmother, Katie Nowak, fears decisions were made to protect the police's reputation rather than help the family.

Their criticism also extends to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales. ITV reports that an April letter told the family there were no concerns identified about officers' actions serious enough to justify disciplinary proceedings at that stage.

The broadcast then examines wider concerns about the watchdog. Former justice secretary Alex Chalk discusses the review he is leading into Henry's case, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood tells Brand she retains confidence in the IOPC as she awaits the review's conclusions.

Brand reports that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has apologised and acknowledged that officers failed Henry in his final moments.