UK police face scrutiny after handcuffing dying student stabbed by Sikh man
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
British police are under fire after body camera footage showed officers handcuffing 18-year-old Henry Nowak as he lay dying from stab wounds in December. Nowak, who repeatedly told police "I can't breathe," was stabbed by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa with a ceremonial knife. Digwa had falsely accused Nowak of racial abuse, and the footage shows police initially accepting Digwa's account and handcuffing Nowak despite his pleas. Nowak's father, Mark, described the police treatment as "shocking," "inhumane and degrading." Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the "awful, shocking case" and noted an independent police complaints watchdog is investigating. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged against allowing the incident to divide communities. Main opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and far-right Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for changes to police diversity policies, with Farage drawing parallels to the George Floyd case and criticizing a perceived "two-tier culture." Badenoch accused Farage of "deepening divisions" but also criticized "two-tier policing." Elon Musk has offered to fund a private prosecution against the police. Digwa was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison. Digwa's brother and father also face weapons charges, and his mother will be sentenced for assisting an offender. Digwa's family apologized to Nowak's family.
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