Henry Nowak murder: Home Secretary orders independent review led by Alex Chalk KC

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has ordered an independent review into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Henry Nowak, the 18-year-old Southampton University student killed in the city on 3 December 2025.

The review will be led by the former Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk KC, the Home Office said on Monday. It will run in two phases.

What the review will examine

According to the published terms of reference, Phase 1 will set out what relevant contact, reports, complaints and other information statutory agencies and other organisations held about Vickrum Digwa, who was convicted of Henry’s murder, in the five years before Henry’s death. It will assess whether there were missed opportunities to identify, manage or act on risk.

It will cover the police, health services, local authorities, educational bodies, employers and other relevant organisations. It will focus specifically on concerns raised about possession of weapons and violent, threatening or erratic behaviour.

Phase 1 will also consider the family’s experience of the criminal justice system after Henry’s death. That includes whether they received clear, timely information and appropriate support from the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and HM Prison and Probation Service, measured against the Victims’ Code.

Mr Chalk is expected to report on Phase 1 to the Home Secretary by March 2027. The terms of reference say the report must be delivered “in any event within five months”.

Phase 2 will begin only once the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has completed its final report into the police response. It will then consider the actions of the IOPC and, if necessary, the police. Its scope and timing will be finalised after consulting the Nowak family.

What it will not do

The terms of reference say the review will not prejudice, duplicate or interfere with the investigations by the IOPC, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) or the coroner. It will not consider judicial decisions, including sentencing, and cannot determine criminal or civil liability. It will not consider reform of the law on knives and offensive weapons.

Other processes under way

The IOPC is carrying out an independent investigation into the actions and decisions of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers and staff in connection with Henry’s death. That investigation is ongoing and no findings have been published.

HMICFRS has been commissioned by the area’s Police and Crime Commissioner to carry out inspection work on force-level systems, processes and culture. An inquest into Henry’s death has been opened and is expected to take place in September 2027.

Digwa was convicted of murder on 28 May 2026 and, on 1 June, sentenced to life with a minimum term of 21 years. The Solicitor General has referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient, and Digwa is appealing against his sentence, the terms of reference record.

Reaction

“Henry was just 18 years old, with his whole life ahead of him,” Ms Mahmood said. “This review will leave no stone unturned in seeking those answers.”

In a statement, the Nowak family said: “At last, some positive news.” They added: “We hope this review, alongside the ongoing investigations and inquest, will finally uncover the full truth.”

Mr Chalk said: “My review will follow the evidence without fear or favour.”

Henry’s father, Mark Nowak, has previously urged people not to use his son’s death to “create further division, hatred or tension”, the BBC reported.

Because the IOPC investigation, the inquest and the sentence proceedings are ongoing, this article reports only the published terms of reference and the court record. It makes no findings about any individual or organisation.