Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered an independent review into the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, the student stabbed to death in Southampton last December, announcing in the Commons on Monday that the review will be led by former Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk KC and will investigate any missed opportunities to intervene before the killing.
Mahmood said the review will investigate what was known about the perpetrator, look at the Nowak family's experience of the criminal justice system and whether they were supported as they should have been, and — once the Independent Office for Police Conduct has concluded its own investigation — will also consider the actions of the IOPC and, if necessary, the police. The full terms of reference were published on Monday, with an initial report due within five months. "We must get to the truth of what happened before, during, and after that awful night," she told MPs.
Nowak was stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in Southampton on December 3, 2025. At the scene, Digwa falsely accused the teenager of racial abuse. Police body-worn camera footage shows Nowak handcuffed as he lay dying, repeatedly telling officers "I've been stabbed," with one officer replying: "Don't think you have, mate."
Digwa was jailed for life in June, with a minimum term of 21 years, for the murder. His mother, Kiran Kaur, was jailed for three years for assisting an offender after she removed the knife her son used.
The case has drawn claims of "two-tier policing" from MPs, and Elon Musk offered to fund a private prosecution against the police, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has pledged to root out two-tier policing from the justice system. Mahmood said Henry's case had raised serious and legitimate questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy and about the response of public authorities afterwards.
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