Hampshire police have apologized to the family of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student who died from a stab wound that officers took eight minutes to discover after arriving at the scene.
Emergency efforts to save Nowak's life continued for an additional 51 minutes. An emergency doctor, who was flown to the scene by helicopter, officially recorded the student's time of death as 00:37 on December 4, 2025.
During sentencing, Judge William Mousley KC acknowledged the difficult circumstances faced by the attending officers. He noted that the genuine shock of a police officer upon realizing he had been administering CPR to Nowak, who had a serious chest wound, indicated the officer was doing his best in a challenging situation. The judge also mentioned that officers had been given a "convincing but wholly false narrative" of the incident, and that individuals under arrest may sometimes "feign injury" in hopes of being released.
Evidence presented during the trial detailed the severity of the chest wound that caused Nowak's death. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary stated that the pathologist's testimony in court made it clear that "there was nothing officers could have done that day to save Henry" because his fatal wound had resulted in "extensive" internal bleeding.
Chief Constable Alexis Boon described the footage captured on officers' body cameras as a "tragedy, an absolute tragedy" that was difficult to watch and expressed deep sympathy for the family. The force has since apologized for the way Nowak was treated at the scene. He died from his injuries while handcuffed on the ground. IMAGE9 alt=A police image of a man lying on the floor with his hands being handcuffed behind his back. IMAGE10 alt=Henry Nowak IMAGE4 alt=Henry Nowak