Home Secretary orders independent review into Henry Nowak murder, led by Alex Chalk

Centre · 2Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced in the House of Commons on Monday 26 October an independent review into the murder of Henry Nowak, to be led by former Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk KC. 1 2 Mixed · 2Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student, was fatally stabbed in Southampton on 3 December 2025 by Vickrum Digwa, who was jailed for life on 1 June with a minimum term of 21 years. 2 3 Left · 2Digwa falsely told police at the scene that Mr Nowak had racially abused him. Police then handcuffed Mr Nowak as he lay dying, and bodycam footage shows an officer replying "I don't think you have, mate" when he said he had been stabbed. 4 5

Centre · 1The footage prompted intense scrutiny of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and wider debate about knife laws, race, policing and public trust. 1 Mixed · 2Ms Mahmood said the review would investigate what was known about the perpetrator, including any missed opportunities to intervene, and examine the Nowak family's experience of the criminal justice system. 2 3 Mixed · 3The Daily Mirror and Daily Mail report that the first phase will cover the five years before the attack, looking at police, health services, local authorities, educational institutions and faith organisations. The second phase will examine the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and, if necessary, the police, once the IOPC has finished its investigation into the police response. 4 3 2

Mixed · 2Reports give the first-phase deadline as an initial report within five months (Evening Standard), or by March next year (Daily Mail, GB News). 2 3 Right · 2Ms Mahmood said the case had raised "serious and legitimate questions" about whether more could have been done to prevent the killing and about the response of public authorities afterwards, and that the review would "leave no stone unturned". 6 3 Mixed · 2Mr Chalk, who was Justice Secretary from 2023 to July 2024, said the review would "follow the evidence without fear or favour" and examine how public authorities treated the family. 2 6

Mixed · 2The Nowak family said it was "a significant moment in our fight for justice" and "an important step forward", but that there was "still a long road ahead". The Evening Standard reports they also thanked Ms Mahmood and Mr Chalk. 4 2 Right · 1The Daily Mail reports that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the review, said she had called for it, and called the police response a "shocking failure by the state". 3 Left · 2Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, was jailed for three years for removing the knife. Two Hampshire and Isle of Wight officers face a gross misconduct investigation, and Digwa's sentence is being challenged as unduly lenient by the law officer Ellie Reeves. 5 4

Mixed · 2The case also led to a protest in Southampton in June that turned violent, with more than a dozen arrests, and to "two-tier policing" allegations, which the Daily Mail reports were backed by Elon Musk and Nigel Farage. 5 3