Henry Nowak's family criticise police footage and prepare watchdog accusations
Henry Nowak's family have spoken for the first time about his murder, criticising police bodycam footage of him handcuffed as he lay dying and preparing to accuse the police watchdog.
How it was covered
- ITV carried 94% of the airtime and concentrated on the family's first interviews, police bodycam failures and watchdog accusations.
- BBC One concentrated on the family's trauma and Lucy Ross's account of being told of his death.
- Channel 5, BBC News, Channel 4, GB News and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
The family of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student murdered in Southampton, have spoken publicly for the first time about his death and their treatment by police. They said their distress was made worse by watching police bodycam footage of officers handcuffing him as he lay dying.
Henry was stabbed five times in Southampton in December last year. BBC News reported that he was walking home from a night out with friends when he was attacked. His killer, Vikram Digwa, falsely told police that Henry had racially abused him. ITV reported that Digwa also claimed he had acted in self-defence, which was untrue.
Lucy Ross, Henry's mother, described the knock on the door at one o'clock in the morning. She said an officer asked whether she had a son called Henry and told her there had been an altercation and that her son had passed away.
ITV reported that Henry's mother, sister, father and stepmother had given their first interviews for an ITV Tonight documentary. They described a happy, cheeky child who loved adventures and became an older brother after his parents divorced. ITV reported that the family said their world had changed twice: once when they were told Henry had died, and again when they watched the police video.
ITV reported that bodycam footage showed officers questioning whether Henry had been stabbed, overlooking his injuries and wrongly arresting him. ITV reported that police took more than 24 hours to identify Henry and tell his family he was dead. Paul Brand, ITV's UK editor, said the family had been private until now, partly because they were nervous of reigniting the rage and rioting seen around the killer's conviction. He said they wanted to tell the truth about Henry and describe how police and the police watchdog treated them.
ITV News reported that the Home Secretary was aware of the documentary's revelations before she announced last week that there would be an independent review of the whole case. ITV said the ITV Tonight special, Dear Henry, Our Fight For Justice, is due to be broadcast at 9pm on Thursday 5 November on ITV1, ITVX, STV and the ITV News YouTube channel.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| Henry Nowak, 18, was stabbed five times while walking home from a night out in Southampton in December last year. | ||
| Henry Nowak's family said police footage showing him handcuffed while dying increased their distress. | ||
| Police bodycam footage showed officers overlooking Henry Nowak's injuries and wrongly arresting him. | ||
| Vikram Digwa, Henry Nowak's killer, falsely told police that Nowak had racially abused him. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| The family gave their first interview to ITV News for an ITV Tonight documentary, 'Dear Henry, or Fight For Justice', scheduled for 9pm on Thursday 5 November. | Not reported by BBC One | |
| The Home Secretary was aware of the documentary's revelations before an independent review of the case was announced. | Not reported by BBC One | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West carried a short segment in a regional bulletin. It focused on the family's trauma and Lucy Ross's account of being told of Henry's death, with brief criticism of police bodycam footage. It did not include the detailed family interviews, the forthcoming documentary, watchdog allegations or the independent review.
- “The family of Henry Nowak have been speaking about the trauma of learning that he'd been murdered.”
- “They've told ITV News that their distress was made worse by watching police footage of officers handcuffing him as he lay dying.”
- “We get that dreaded knock on the door at one o'clock in the morning because the dog started barking.”
ITV1 gave the story extensive treatment across its evening and late bulletins. It led on the family's first interviews for an ITV Tonight documentary, including emotional testimony and bodycam footage of Henry being handcuffed, and set out their coming accusations against police and the watchdog. Its coverage also linked the case to political pressure and an independent review announced by the Home Secretary.
- “In the last year, our world has changed twice. The first time was the night that we were told that Henry had died, and the second time was when we watched that video.”
- “Henry's agony was captured on police camera, as officers overlooked his innocence and his injuries, and wrongly arrested him.”
- “They took more than 24 hours to identify Henry, and tell his family that he was dead.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 17:28 GMT
Lucy Ross, Henry's mother
BBC News · Sun 1 Nov
- 22:09 GMT
Henry Nowak, 18-year-old
ITV News · Sun 1 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.