'I Can't Breathe': Viral Footage Of Dying Teen Handcuffed by UK Police After Fatal Stabbing Sparks Outrage

New Delhi: Outrage is mounting across the United Kingdom following the release of body camera footage showing police handcuffing a dying teenager.

The incident, involving a victim who had been stabbed by an man, who subsequently attempted to mislead officers by falsely claiming he was the target of a racist attack, has ignited intense scrutiny regarding policing failures, knife crime, and racial tensions.

"I can't breathe"

The widely circulated video captures 18-year-old Henry Nowak lying fatally wounded on a residential street in Southampton, repeating "I can't breathe" as officers surround him.

The footage further reveals officers ignoring Nowak’s pleas that he had been stabbed. As per the video, while he lay on his back pleading for breath, officers attempted to force him into a seated position and restrained his wrists, disregarding his repeated warnings about the severity of his injury.

"You've been stabbed? Whereabouts?" an officer said in the video. “Don't think you have, mate.”

Notably, the police released the footage with the consent of Nowak's family following the sentencing of his attacker, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, who was handed a life sentence with a 21-year minimum term earlier this week.

What December footage revealed

The December bodycam footage reveals Digwa standing nearby while police restrained the bleeding Nowak, ignoring his desperate pleas for help. Digwa had misled officers by claiming he was the victim of a racist attack by Nowak, who was white, a narrative the responding officers initially accepted as true.

However, a UK court concluded earlier this week that Digwa’s claims of being targeted by racism were false.

Where was Nowak

Further investigations revealed that Nowak, a first-year University of Southampton student, had been out with friends at the time of the incident. Upon arriving at the scene of the reported assault, police discovered Nowak on a driveway, being supported by an individual who noted he was spitting up blood.

Standing nearby, Digwa pointed to his eyelid, which he claimed was swollen, and alleged that Nowak had assaulted him by pulling his hair and knocking off his turban.

Following his handcuffing, officers placed Nowak on his side to check for injuries. Just as he appeared to lose consciousness.

When officers discovered his injuries, they uncuffed him and started CPR, police said.

Convicted of murder

Digwa was subsequently convicted of murder at Southampton Crown Court. During sentencing, Judge William Mousley stated that he rejected Digwa's claims that Nowak had made any racist remarks toward him.

"You are the only person to make that claim, and it is completely at odds with his previous character," he said.

Following the sentencing, the victim's father, Mark Nowak, emphasized that the case was not defined by race or religion. He expressed his hope that his son’s tragic death would instead serve as a catalyst for improving public safety, rather than being exploited to incite further hatred, tension, or division.

Protests Rock UK

Following Digwa's sentencing on Tuesday, hundreds gathered outside a Southampton police station to protest the initial arrest, with some participants chanting, "I can't breathe."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was sickened by the video and said there were questions to be answered about how "accusations of racism informed the decision-making in this case."

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