Face of the Day

Body camera footage of a dying student who was handcuffed by British police after being stabbed by a Sikh man and falsely accused of racially abusing his murderer sparked outrage Tuesday (UK time).

Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak is heard repeatedly telling police “I can't breathe” in the footage captured as he lay mortally wounded in December after a night out with his football team members.

A judge on Monday jailed his killer, 23-year-old Sikh Vickrum Digwa, for at least 21 years for stabbing Nowak to death with a ceremonial knife with a 21cm (eight-inch) blade.

When police arrived at the scene in the south coast city of Southampton, Digwa lied to officers, telling them Nowak had racially insulted him and that he was the victim.

The footage, which was played during Digwa’s trial, shows police accepting the aggressor’s accusation, and rather than helping Nowak, initially handcuffing him despite his pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe.

One officer can be heard asking Nowak: “You’ve been stabbed, whereabouts?” before adding: “Don’t think you have, mate.”

Moments later the young student collapsed and became unconscious.

Speaking after Digwa was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court, Nowak’s father Mark described the police treatment of his son as “shocking”.

He called Nowak’s treatment “inhumane and degrading... his murderer, however, was afforded decency. He was believed.”

RNZ