[Source: Reuters]
British police faced a national backlash on Tuesday over the inflammatory case of an 18-year-old student who was handcuffed as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer falsely alleged a racist attack.
Henry Nowak died after the knife attack in the southern England city of Southampton last December.
His killer Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, having lied to police at the time that Nowak had assaulted him.
In police bodycam footage, Nowak is seen lying on the street saying “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe” while an officer responds “I don’t think you have, mate”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there were “serious questions” to answer, including how “allegations of racism informed or fed into the decision-making in that particular case.”
“It is impossible to watch that footage and not appreciate that those questions absolutely have to be answered,” Starmer told reporters.
Judge William Mousley acknowledged in court on Monday that the case had stirred racial tension across Britain.
Nigel Farage, whose anti-immigration Reform party leads opinion polls, said it was an example of the rights of ethnic minorities trumping those of white British people.
