Moment cops ignore dying knife victim’s desperate pleas for help after cuffing him because attacker used ‘racism card’
THIS is the shocking moment a dying teenager desperately pleaded with cops to help him as he was handcuffed despite being stabbed by his attacker who used the “racism card”.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, had knifed 18-year-old Henry Nowak five times in a random street attack as the teen made his way home from a night out.
Now, newly released bodycam footage shows a cop telling Henry “I don’t think you have, mate” when he claims to have been stabbed – with the teenager dying just an hour after the video was taken.
The footage was released with the family’s permission.
It begins as police arrive at the scene with Digwa’s father holding Henry upright as he is slumped against a house.
Digwa, who was today sentenced to 21 years in prison, can be seen telling police that his victim had not been stabbed as he lay dying.
The thug – who called the officers alleging he had been the victim of a racist assault – was seen telling cops that he has been injured and points to his eye.
The murderer is seen in the video without his turban on and tells police it is because Henry tore it off in a violent attack.
Despite acknowledging that Henry had blood on him and the student telling them five times that he had been stabbed, officers tell him “I don’t think you have” and proceed to arrest him.
The officer pulls Henry along the ground and place him in handcuffs as he pleads with them to call an ambulance.
Henry tells the arresting officers that he cannot breathe no fewer than seven times as officers demand he put his hands in the cuffs and moments later the teenager falls unconscious.
Judge William Mousley KC dismissed the racism claims made by Digwa, adding that his actions had “stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which have made many Sikhs worried about their safety”.
The court heard that Henry had died from drowning in his own blood shortly after police arrested him for the “wicked lie” that he had perpetrated the attack.
Digwa repeatedly stabbed Henry with a Kirpan – a small, curved ceremonial blade that practising Sikhs are required to wear at all times.
In the UK, Sikhs are legally permitted to carry a Kirpan in public as it is protected under religious exemption laws.
However, Digwa was found to have a small Kirpan around his neck that fulfilled his religious obligation.
The “Shastar” blade he carried on him was much larger – around 21cm, the court heard.
Sentencing Digwa, Judge Mousley KC said: “In addition to killing Henry and the irreparable harm to those close to him, you have also caused real suffering to others who knew him.
“You have brought shame upon your family, your community and your religion.
“Your actions have stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which have made many Sikhs worried about their own safety even though they have done absolutely nothing wrong.”
Following Thursday’s verdict, the UK Sikh Federation said in a statement: “Fully practising Sikhs who wear a Kirpan should continue to recognise the serious responsibility that accompanies it, together with the limited legal protection that exists for wearing it for genuine religious purposes.”
The federation said it believed the large blade used by Digwa “was not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs”.
“That’s what we wanted to clarify – that actually the perpetrator used an item which can only be called an offensive weapon,” it added.
A leading figure in the UK Sikh federation added: “There just hasn’t been any incident like this but, nonetheless, there is something for the community to do, to make sure every fully-practising Sikh that wears a Kirpan understands the law and understands that if you use your Kirpan offensively, it ceases to be a Kirpan.
“It becomes an offensive weapon, it’s simple as that.”
In a moving victim impact statement, Henry’s mum Lucy Ross described the pain of his death as being “beyond anything I knew existed”.
She added: “Our family will never be the same. We’re trying to find a way to live with this as our new normal. But nothing about it feels normal.”
Henry’s dad Mark told how he would be haunted forever by his son’s murder.
He broke down in tears as he continued: “As a father, it is my job to protect my child and I failed to keep him safe.
“I was not there when he needed me most. The thought of him lying in the road, scared, bleeding to death will haunt me forever.”
Mark also branded the way his son was treated as “degrading” and “inhumane” as he added: “Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved.
“He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.”
