Henry Nowak "would have hated" the riots which followed his death, his family have said in a new TV documentary. They accused some politicians of playing a "game" with his murder.
Henry, 18, was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa last year. He was handcuffed by police as he lay dying when his attacker falsely accused him of racial abuse.
Family speaks out in ITV documentary
In an interview for an ITV Tonight documentary, Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice, the family said they had "worked hard" to keep politics out of their son's story.
Protesters, including leaders of Ukip and Britain First, and the Portsmouth branch of the National Rebirth Party, protested in Southampton in the weeks after his death. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage delivered an emergency address, calling for the public to respond with "pure cold rage" and an end to what he described as "two-tier policing".
Henry's mother, Lucy Ross, said she thought that some people had tried to use her son's death to advance wider political arguments. She added: "I suppose that's the game they play, and I can't do anything about that. But when they think it all links together — no, it doesn't. Olivia's lost her brother, and I've lost my son."
"I'm not interested in your political game. I want to know why Henry was on the floor, and he got treated the way he did, but that family got treated in a different way. What is that?"
IOPC investigation and political response
Mark Nowak, Henry's father, told ITV his son "was not a divisive person" and the political response to his murder "didn't sit with Henry's values or our values".
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed its investigation into potential failures in the police response to Henry's stabbing is expected to conclude early next year. A letter sent to the family by the watchdog in April said after "careful consideration of the available evidence" no officers "would be subject to conduct or criminal investigation".
The letter said: "This was because there were no concerns identified in relation to officer actions and decisions that would be so serious as to justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings, should they be proven or admitted." It added the decision not to investigate attending officers would be "kept under review throughout the life cycle of the case". The IOPC had announced in July that two officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also commissioned an independent review of the case, including the IOPC's involvement, led by the former lord chancellor Alex Chalk, to examine whether there were "any missed opportunities to intervene".
Family expresses fears of manipulation
Henry, from Chafford Hundred, Essex, was a first-year student at the University of Southampton when he was murdered as he walked home from a night out. He suffered five stab wounds or cuts from a 21cm (8in) blade, which Digwa later claimed was from a kirpan that he was carrying as part of his Sikh faith.
In police body-worn camera footage, the teenager could be heard repeating, "I've been stabbed", to which an officer replies: "Don't think you have, mate." The family first saw the footage on the first day of Digwa's trial at Southampton Crown Court earlier this year.
Henry's sister Olivia said: "That video only came out because there was a trial. We didn't see it before the trial." His stepmum Katie Nowak added: "We've always felt that there was a slight hope that Vickrum may have pleaded guilty."
"And if he'd have pleaded guilty or we hadn't have hired expert help, we've always had that fear that the truth may never have come out." In another excerpt, she said: "I do feel that we have been failed multiple times. I fear that we may have been manipulated in our darkest hours. I fear that some decisions were made to try and protect the police and their reputation rather than help us as a family."
Police apology and appeal
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Chief Constable Alexis Boon told ITV in a statement: "Henry's murder was a devastating tragedy, and our thoughts remain with his family and all those who loved him. I am incredibly sorry that in his final moments, when he needed us most, we failed him."
"For Henry's family, this has been about more than the circumstances of one night. They have rightly raised serious concerns about the police response and their treatment throughout the investigation and since. No family should ever find themselves in this position."
The case has already been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General with a view to increasing the sentence. Both sentence-length arguments will be heard at the Court of Appeal on Thursday. Dear Henry: Our Fight For Justice will air on Thursday at 9pm on ITV, ITVX and the ITV News YouTube channel.
