Hampshire Police planned intervention during trial of Henry Nowak's killer

Hampshire Police planned to put out a statement challenging "disinformation" during the trial of Henry Nowak's killer, but were warned by the Crown Prosecution Service it could jeopardise the case.

It is understood there had been concern about online commentary and potential public disorder, so the police force sought the CPS's views on issuing a message telling people it would address questions once proceedings were complete.

Prosecutors advised the force it could risk impacting the "integrity" of the case against Vickrum Digwa.

Mr Nowak, an 18-year-old university student, was handcuffed by police as he bled to death after being stabbed in the street with a ceremonial knife.

Digwa told police he was the victim of a racist attack after he knifed Mr Nowak five times in Portswood, Southampton, on 3 December 2025.

He was convicted of murder and given a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years in prison for stabbing the finance student with a ceremonial Pesh Kabz, a 21cm Indo-Persian dagger previously used in battles to pierce through armour.

Digwa claimed he carried the murder weapon for religious reasons. He was also carrying a kirpan, the small knife not usually more than six inches long, including the handle, which can be carried by Sikh men and women.

Anger erupted after police body-worn video was released which showed officers ignored Mr Nowak's pleas that he had been stabbed, and placed him in handcuffs moments before he became unconscious and subsequently died.

Eleven people have since been charged after violent clashes at protests following the sentencing.

It is understood the statement contained information about the process of a court case, reminded people that nothing could be published that could prejudice legal proceedings, and said that police would answer questions once the trial was complete.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: "The CPS highlighted to the police that protecting the integrity of the ongoing trial was essential, and of the risks of referring to any aspect of the evidence before it had been heard by the court and the case had been summed up by the judge to the jury.

"However, it was made clear that whether a statement was released was ultimately a police operational decision."

A spokesperson for Hampshire Police told Sky News: "Following the opening of the trial and the media reporting that followed, a significant amount of mis and disinformation was circulating online.

"This included requests for information to be shared that had not been fully examined as part of the murder trial.

"The intention of the statement was to remind the public that there were ongoing legal proceedings and that the law is clear that nothing could be published which could prejudice the trial.

"The decision not to publish was taken following advice from the CPS."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary's response in Mr Nowak's case.

The National Police Chiefs' Council is reviewing language used in anti-racism guidance following suggestions it may have influenced officers' actions on the night Mr Nowak died.

A jury inquest next year will also examine the circumstances surrounding Mr Nowak's death.

The attorney general is considering whether Digwa's sentence should be referred to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient scheme after receiving several requests.

Mr Nowak's father Mark has said the family "do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension", but the police's treatment of the student has sparked a political row in Britain and across the Atlantic.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged politicians to heed the teenager's relatives' calls not to use the case "to cause disturbances", while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been criticised for saying people should respond with "pure, cold rage".

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for a rapid review into the circumstances surrounding Henry Nowak's murder.

"The problem is not institutional racism towards blacks or whites but institutional incompetence," she wrote in The Sunday Times.

Downing Street has also hit out at US tech billionaire Elon Musk, accusing him of trying to "whip up division" after he said he was willing to fund a private prosecution against Hampshire Police.

US vice president JD Vance called for "righteous anger" and blamed Mr Nowak's murder on immigration.

Deputy PM and Justice Secretary David Lammy revealed to Sky News on Sunday that he told Mr Vance during a phone call on Saturday that he was "wrong" about the Henry Nowak case.

Mr Vance, who is good friends with Mr Lammy, blamed "the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants" for his murder in a post on X.

Speaking to Sky's Trevor Phillips, Mr Lammy said: "I spoke to the vice president yesterday, and I wanted to emphasise a number of things.

"The first is that our democratic process is working well. This young man has been convicted. There is an investigation into the police by the Independent Police [Conduct] Authority. There is an investigation into Hampshire Police by the inspectorate. The [attorney general] is looking at the sentencing in relation to this. The national police chiefs are looking at the guidance in relation to this.

"The second thing was I disagree with him. This has got nothing to do with mass migration. This young man was a Brit. Let's be clear about that.

"And I said, "Look, Mr vice president, you're wrong about this.

"And it's also the case that actually murder is coming down in the United Kingdom. So we had an agreeable conversation. But we disagree."

(c) Sky News 2026: Hampshire Police planned intervention during trial of Henry Nowak's killer