Police pelted with missiles at Henry Nowak protest

Police officers have been pelted with missiles during a protest near the Southampton home of Henry Nowak's killer.

A crowd of several hundred initially took part in a demonstration outside Southampton Central Police Station before gathering close to the family home of Vickrum Digwa in St Denys.

The 23-year-old was jailed for life on Monday after being convicted of murdering Nowak, 18, as he walked back to his student accommodation in Southampton in December 2025.

Responding to the clashes with police, the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the scenes as "completely unacceptable".

Protesters marched across the city from the police station to the St Denys area, close to where Nowak was murdered in December. Chairs, cans and flares were thrown at officers in riot gear, forcing them to retreat.

Digwa stabbed Nowak with a large blade he claimed to carry for religious reasons, before lying to police at the scene and falsely claiming he had been the victim of a racist attack - leading officers to arrest Henry rather than his killer.

Body cam footage released this week showed Nowak repeatedly telling officers he had been stabbed as he lay dying in handcuffs.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation into the force's response.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there are "serious questions for police" following the release of the footage.

During the initial protest at the police station, political activist Tommy Robinson spoke to the crowd.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said: "I heard someone say this wasn't about race, this is about race."

He added: "A white boy who done nothing was handcuffed, a murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times isn't."

The demonstrators could be heard chanting Nowak's name and "I can't breathe", which were among the teenager's last words.

Mahmood emphasised that Nowak's family had called against using his death as a cause of further "division, hatred or tension".

"There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder," she said.

"Those responsible can expect to face the full force of the law."

Satvir Kaur, the Labour MP for Southampton Test, the constituency in which the murder took place, said she was concerned the murder was being exploited for political reasons.

"Of course people need to look at knife crime but when it comes to using this an excuse to put communities against each other, that is not helping," she said.

"It's not helping in Southampton and it's not helping across the country."