Henry Nowak’s family claim police ‘hoped murderer would plead guilty so sickening arrest footage could be covered up and never become public’

Henry Nowak’s family say they fear police delayed showing them body-camera footage of his arrest because they hoped his killer would plead guilty, keeping the footage from public view. The video shows officers handcuffing the 18-year-old as he lay dying after being stabbed, despite his pleas for help; the family say its late disclosure has left them questioning whether they were told the truth.

The footage was first shown to the family at the opening of Vickrum Digwa’s trial, five months after the killing. Before then, an Independent Office for Police Conduct letter had said there was no evidence of serious officer wrongdoing. Digwa was initially sentenced to a minimum of 21 years, later increased to 25 years, while the IOPC investigation continued.