Henry Nowak: Why did police handcuff a dying teen instead of helping?

What’s the story?

The death of Henry Nowak, the 18-year-old who died from stab wounds in police handcuffs, is the result of “one of the worst bits of policing you're ever likely to see.”

Andy Hughes of The Crime Agents, tells Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel that the actions of police who attended a 999 call and wrongly restrained the teenager, goes against all the training officers are given, and everything they should do in that situation.

Nowak was restrained by police after being stabbed by a 23-year-old in Southampton, who lied to officers he had been the victim of a racist attack.

Bodycam footage shows police did not believe Nowak's claims and he died on the floor.

“Police officers will tell you that they get lied to all the time,” Hughes says.

“They clearly made the wrong judgment here.”

Hampshire police have previously faced allegations of racism and homophobia.

He says some junior police officers may attempt to overcorrect perceptions of being institutionally racist when dealing with certain incidents.

“One of the big problems I'm being told about is that a lot of these responding officers are quite junior, with less than five years experience,” he adds.

Some of the weak ones I'm told may – because they're being told constantly that they are institutionally racist – subconsciously do everything they can to avoid being called racist.

“This may have happened in this case, but the IOPC will have to see where that goes.”

‘What Nigel Farage has said does not help’

Speaking outside court, Nowak's dad said the family does not want his murder to be used to "create further hatred, division or tension".

Despite this, Nigel Farage has blamed the incident on DEI within the police, and accused it of "two-tier culture", and said there is police prejudice against white people.

Andy Hughes says there is “absolutely not” anti-white policing in the UK, as Farage has claimed.

“A lot of the police officers I've spoken to this morning tell me that comments that Nigel Farage made this morning do not help,” Hughes tells The News Agents.

“The big fear here is that what Nigel Farage said could stoke hatred, not only against minority communities, but also against the police, and this is not based on fact.

“If you actually look at the cold hard facts, you're twice as likely to be arrested if you're black. You're four times more likely to be stopped in search if you're black.”

Nothing in Farage’s statement, he adds, is based in fact.

“He said all police officers, effectively, are told to treat people differently based on their ethnicity,” Hughes says.

“I’m sorry, that's absolute nonsense. In fact, they're taught the opposite. They're told to deal with people without fear or favour.”

What’s The News Agents take?

Emily Maitlis describes the death of Henry Nowak as “one of the most upsetting stories” ever covered by The News Agents.

“It's certainly one of the most upsetting stories that I've come across for a long time,” she says.

“What went through the minds of the police as they looked at this 18-year-old kid lying on the ground, as they told him that he had not been stabbed while he was trying to tell them that he was fighting for his life, that he couldn't breathe.”

Jon Sopel says it’s clear from the bodycam footage, which has been made public and shared widely on social media, that something went “horribly wrong” in the police response.

But, he adds, there was also something very wrong in the Farage response to the teenager’s death.

“To make the sweeping generalisation that there is now a two-tier policing in this country, and it is anti-white, given the evidence that people have seen over successive years just seems to me teetering on the irresponsible,” Jon says.

He says Farage will only make the work of police officers even harder across the UK.

“Farage has barely allowed the father's words to sink in before finding what looks like a political vacuum to exploit,” Emily adds.

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents.