The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will broaden its investigation into Hampshire Police to examine whether officers' actions, including the handcuffing of dying student Henry Nowak, were influenced by anti-immigration protests near an asylum hotel.
The inquiry will consider if local tensions contributed to officers mistakenly identifying the 18-year-old victim as a suspect. This development comes after the IOPC spent six months examining the circumstances of Nowak's death in December. The investigation will also review the officers' use of handcuffs and the first aid provided.
The IOPC, however, is not currently investigating the conduct of individual officers, treating them as witnesses instead. This decision has drawn criticism, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman previously calling for a full misconduct investigation into the arresting officers. Reports indicate that an officer dismissed Nowak's cries of "I've been stabbed" with "Don't think you have, mate."
Nowak was fatally stabbed five times by Vickrum Digwa on December 3, shortly after Digwa falsely claimed he had been racially abused. Digwa, 23, was later jailed for a minimum of 21 years.
The murder occurred minutes from the Highfield House Hotel, which has been housing approximately one hundred asylum seekers since May of the previous year. Protests at the hotel had been ongoing since its use by the Home Office. In the months leading up to the murder, the local area of Portswood experienced escalating tensions, marked by incidents such as the arrest of two asylum seekers for public exposure and groping offenses. Locals reported a "climate of ongoing racial abuse" linked to the anti-migrant protests.
Further incidents included an arson investigation after a flare was thrown through a hotel window in September and violent clashes between migrants and protesters outside the hotel in October. Police had made five arrests and issued five dispersal orders since the protests began, including one in November, just days before the murder, approximately 500 meters from the hotel.
Upon arriving at the scene, Digwa told police that he had experienced previous altercations and claimed, "We've had people racially attack us during the morning." This account was later revealed to be a falsehood.
An IOPC spokesperson stated that the terms of reference for the investigation are being updated following recent discussions with Henry Nowak's family. Further information will be provided once all parties have been notified.