The family of Henry Nowak have said their 'world has changed twice' since the murder of their son in December last year.
asserted
world → say → December
Their lives were first turned upside down upon learning of the 18-year-old's death - and then again as they watched on in horror after footage emerged of his arrest showing him being handcuffed by police as he lay dying.
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he → turn → police
The family recalled receiving a visit from police officers after Mr Nowak was fatally stabbed with an eight-inch ceremonial dagger in Southampton on December 3, 2025 by Vickrum Digwa.
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Nowak → recall → Digwa
'I jumped out of bed and I saw the police car on our driveway,' his stepmother Katie told ITV.
'
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stepmother → jump → ITV
One of the police officers was holding his hat in his hand, and I just knew straight away that something horrific had happened.'
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something → hold → hand
She remembered Mr Nowak's father Mark falling to his knees upon hearing the news of the student's death, adding: 'He let out a cry that I'll never forget.'
'It was just shock,' Mark said.
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Mark → remember → that
I just remember saying "It's Henry" and breaking down in tears.
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It → remember → tears
Mr Nowak's father Mark and his stepmother Katie, his mother Lucy and older sister Olivia, were speaking for the first time about the moment they learned of the student's death for a new documentary Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice.
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they → speak → Justice
Henry Nowak was murdered in Southampton last December by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely claimed he had been racially abused by the 18-year-old student
Vickrum Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years in June
The murder weapon used by Digwa, an eight-inch Sikh ceremonial dagger
News of Mr Nowak's murder would later cause widespread political outrage when police body-worn camera footage emerged showing the student being handcuffed by officers after his attacker Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh, falsely accused him of racial abuse.
In the video, Mr Nowak can be heard repeatedly saying: 'I've been stabbed,' to which an officer replies: 'Don't think you have, mate.
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you → murder → which
'In the last year, our world has changed twice,' Katie said.
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Katie → change → year
'The first time was the night that we were told that Henry had died.
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Henry → tell → ?
And the second time was when we watched that video.'
Mr Nowak's mother Lucy recalled officers knocking on the door in the early hours and her daughter Olivia, Mr Nowak's sister, shouting at her: 'Mum, there's police at the door.'
'They said to me, "Do you have a son called Henry?" Lucy said.
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Lucy → watch → son
And unfortunately, your son has passed away".
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son → pass → ?
'No words, no words can explain that feeling,' she added.
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she → explain → feeling
Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years on June 1 for Mr Nowak's murder.
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Digwa → jail → murder
Kiran Kaur, Digwa's mother, was also jailed for three years for assisting an offender after she removed the knife used by her son.
Following Digwa and his mother's sentencings, the Crown Prosecution Service released footage of the moment the murderer told her to take the knife he had used to kill Mr Nowak.
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he → jail → Nowak
Kiran Kaur, 53, was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court earlier this year of assisting an offender by removing a weapon from the murder scene
In the video, Digwa could be heard talking to his mother in Punjabi asking her to take away the weapon.
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Digwa → find → weapon
The clip was taken on Digwa's phone and was pointed to the ground.
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clip → take → ground
A transcript released by the CPS revealed how Digwa told Kaur: 'Take this', which prosecutors said was referring to the knife.
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prosecutors → release → knife
During her sentencing at Southampton Crown Court Judge William Mousley said when Digwa told Kaur to take the murder weapon away 'by then you knew or believed that he had stabbed and injured Henry'.
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he → say → Henry
The judge also told Kaur: 'A responsible parent would have challenged their son over their actions and encourage them to do the right thing.
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parent → tell → thing
'
Kaur took the murder weapon home and put it with a 'larger collection of ceremonial and other weapons in your son's bedroom', Judge Mousley said.
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Mousley → take → bedroom
He added that this would have helped to conceal its use because she wanted him to 'avoid being caught'.
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him → add → use
The judge said her actions 'added to your son's pretence that he had done nothing wrong and that he was the victim', and added that she added to the 'degradation of Henry being arrested when he was dying'.
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he → say → degradation
Earlier this week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced an independent review into the student's murder.
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Mahmood → announce → murder
The review will be led by former lord chancellor Alex Chalk and will look at 'any missed opportunities to intervene', Ms Mahmood told the Commons.
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Mahmood → lead → Commons
Mr Chalk previously said the review will 'follow the evidence without fear or favour'.
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review → say → fear
He said: 'The murder of Henry Nowak, an innocent young man, at the hands of Vickrum Digwa shocked the nation.
'
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murder → say → nation
Serious questions have been raised about whether agencies and organisations failed to act on complaints about Digwa's violent and erratic behaviour.
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agencies → raise → behaviour
'My review will follow the evidence without fear or favour.
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review → follow → fear
It will also examine how public authorities treated the Nowak family at a time of unimaginable pain.
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authorities → examine → pain
They deserve nothing less.'
Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice will air on Thursday November 5 at 9pm on ITV, ITVX, and the ITV News YouTube channel.
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Fight → deserve → ITV
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