The chief constable of Hampshire police has apologised to the family of Henry Nowak for the student being handcuffed and arrested as he lay dying.
Chief Constable Alexis Boon told the BBC he was “distressed” as others had been by the bodycam footage which showed the 18-year-old repeatedly telling officers that he had been stabbed and could not breathe.
Police can be seen in the footage arresting the teenager after his murderer Vickrum Digwa had falsely claimed he had been racially abused by the victim.
Asked what he would now say to the family, Boon told the BBC: “I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this.” He reiterated an apology on behalf of the force for the way in which Henry had been handcuffed and arrested.
However Boon, who heads Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said he was not going to resign over the matter.
He also said that he would not pre-judge the outcome of an Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the circumstances of the police response.
One of the officers in the bodycam video has now left the force for an unrelated reason and three others are no longer on front-line duties, he confirmed.
“What was filmed there is a tragedy, an absolute tragedy. You can’t help but be affected by it. It’s very difficult to watch. I really feel for the family of Henry at this time,” he said.
After the sentencing on Monday, Mark Nowak said the family would carry their grief “every single day for the rest of their lives.”
He said that it was “unbearable” to see how his son had been treated by police in comparison with his killer, but he went on to say: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension.”
The circumstances surrounding his son’s death have resulted in widespread condemnation and political reaction.
On Wednesday Sir Keir Starmer accused Nigel Farage of exploiting the death to create “grievance and division” after the Reform UK leader had suggested the public should react with “pure cold rage” and accused the police of “two-tier policing”.
Boon said he did not recognise this term, telling the BBC he saw officers “day in, day out” doing their job for all communities.
On Wednesday afternoon Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones told the BBC she had spoken to the victim’s family, saying they had called for calm.
Meanwhile the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) is examining whether a document of “anti-racism commitments” and guidance needs changing.
Novak, who was lying on the floor after being stabbed four times, repeatedly told police he had been stabbed but one officer told him “I don’t think you have mate”.
He was handcuffed and told officers “I can’t breathe” before he died at the scene.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said there had been ‘multiple failures”.
And in the Commons, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said “police appeared more concerned with the accusation of racism” than “helping Henry”.
Nowak was walking home after a night out with his football teammates when he was attacked on 3 December.
Judge William Mousley said at the trial that Digwa had brought shame upon his family and his religion.
His mother Kiran Kaur, 53, was also found guilty of assisting an offender after she tried to hide the murder weapon.
Police handout