Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The chief constable of Hampshire Police has apologised to the family of Henry Nowak for the 18-year-old being handcuffed and arrested as he lay dying.

Chief Constable Alexis Boon described the scenes on the streets of Southampton last night as "disgraceful", after eleven police officers were injured and two people were arrested as protests escalated.

The chief constable's calls for calm were echoed by Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in an uncharacteristically unified showing at Prime Minister's Questions earlier. Keir Starmer thanked Kemi Badenoch for her "tone", while Ed Davey urged for Henry Nowak's death not to be used as "a political football".

Reform UK's Nigel Farage repeated his allegation of "two-tier policing" and referenced a "Police Anti-Racism Commitment" document that has garnered controversy in the wake of the incident.

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) says it will review this document and is "listening to legitimate concerns" about it - and No 10 says the body is "rightly" seeking to remove "ambiguity".

As an investigation by the independent police watchdog "remains ongoing", there will be a longer wait for answers about why the officers responding to the incident in December 2025 made the decisions they did.

• We're ending our live coverage now, but you can keep up-to-date with the latest developments in our news story.

Image source, PA Media

In Westminster: Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed there are "serious questions" in the wake of Nowak's death, while condemning "unacceptable" attacks on police. Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch urged for it to be "a wake up call".

Reform UK's Nigel Farage described the incident as "two-tier policing", while Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said Nowak's murder must not be "a political football". Green MP Sian Berry said her party rejects attempts to "scapegoat the entire Sikh community".

In Southampton: The Hampshire Police Chief Constable has told the BBC the force is "sorry for handcuffing and arresting Henry", calling the incident "an absolute tragedy" - but condemned overnight disorder as "disgraceful".

Local residents have spoken of "bricks being thrown" at "absolutely insane" protests on Monday night, while MP Satvir Kaur said they have "made people scared".

And Southampton council has said people commenting from outside the city "should take care not to use language that could inflame tensions".

In the wider policing community: The independent police watchdog said its investigation into the Nowak incident "remains ongoing".

On the controversy surrounding the "Police Anti-Racism Commitment", Policing Minister Sarah Jones said the document "feels like it's not right", but stressed it laid out "values" and wasn't used for training.

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has announced it will look into this, and is "listening to legitimate concerns about how some of these commitments are worded or phrased".

Image source, LightRocket via Getty Images

A police officer tells BBC Radio 5 Live there's a "disconnect between reality and training", and suggests officers aren't receiving enough support from police leaders.

The officer - who is speaking to the BBC anonymously - says he doesn't believe police officers were being racist when they handcuffed Henry Nowak.

He says they are trained to treat everyone equally, without fear or favour, but admits "there is a disconnect between the classroom and what goes on in reality".

"When you're dealing with live incidents and you've got seconds to make decisions and make judgements and deal with things out in the open, you've got people filming you, you've got pressures from senior leaders in the police," he says.

"We're all human beings. We're not robots."

Facebook pages posting about Nowak removed for falsely claiming to be UK-basedpublished at 18:55 BST 3 June

18:55 BST 3 June

By Kevin Nguyen

Meta has removed seven Facebook pages, which were posting about Henry Nowak’s murder, for posing as being UK-based when they were actually being operated from overseas.

BBC Verify found pages which had names like “We Like UK”, “True Britain Live” and “Real Britain”, which we established had administrators located in Ghana, Nigeria, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, despite listing a UK address.

Image source, Facebook

One page shared an AI-manipulated photo of Nowak in a graveyard.

The aim of these pages, which had tens of thousands of followers combined, is unclear.

But previous BBC News reporting has found they often are driven by financial gain, such as driving traffic to other websites or via Meta’s monetary rewards for publishing engaging content.

A Meta spokesperson told BBC Verify the company forbids misrepresentation or content likely to interfere with political processes on its platform.

“We take coordinated inauthentic behaviour seriously and have removed the content brought to our attention,” the spokesperson added.

Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

I've been speaking to businesses in Southampton's Portswood area, near to where Henry Nowak was murdered, and where demonstrations erupted yesterday close to the home of his killer.

A barista who works at the cafe Mettricks Portswood tells me the murder has had a big impact on the city.

"When I'm serving, mostly everyone is talking about the situation," 28-year-old Ercan says.

"They're mostly saying it's unacceptable," he says, adding that he believes the officers' behaviour is "not good at all".

Ercan referred to the bodycam footage released by police which shows Nowak being handcuffed after telling officers that he had been stabbed.

"I've seen the video," he says. "He [Nowak] was just on the ground. He's saying 'he stabbed me'. He is explaining the situation. He is not attacking or doing anything at all."

Ercan says he didn't see the protest last night, but that there was a demonstration with over a hundred people on Sunday across the road from the cafe, with people "shouting... about justice".

Image source, PA Media

Jared Evitts
BBC Newsbeat, reporting from Southampton

Third year university students Teddy Dunning and George Bravent played football with Henry Nowak, and live only a few streets from where clashes took place yesterday evening.

Teddy, 21, says that in the three years he has lived in the area he has felt safe, and Henry's murder has been “shocking more than anything”.

“When I found out, it was pretty hard to take. So many people I know knew him well,” he says.

George, 20, says during protests last night, the sounds of sirens and helicopters were strong - and it felt “surreal”.

There's a “weird” feeling in the area following Henry's death, he says. “We walk up this road. We park on this road. Everyone feels it could have been them."

Sima Kotecha
Senior UK correspondent

The president of the National Black Police Association - Chief Inspector Andy George of the Police Service of Northern Ireland - has urged police leaders not to step back from the "vital work required to confront and eradicate racism" within policing and the criminal justice system.

The association withdrew its support for the Race Action Plan in 2024, citing inconsistent levels of engagement among other issues.

George tells me today: "Whilst allegations of ‘two-tier policing’ have gained prominence in recent years, the wider evidence base and the lived experiences of many of our members continue to show that policing can remain a hostile environment for people from minoritised communities.

"Policing must continue to ensure that its services are delivered in a fair and equitable manner to all communities, and we will continue to work with policing leaders and partners to help achieve that."

He adds that those in positions of responsibility "have an obligation to ensure their words do not encourage hatred or provoke others into violence".

• Earlier, the National Police Chief Council said it was reviewing anti-racism guidance and Downing Street says the language should change

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was "wrong" to call for people to respond to Henry Nowak's murder with "pure cold rage".

In a video shared on social media, she says the 18-year-old's family had asked not to make their grief political, and "it is important that we honour that".

Badenoch says: "I agree with Nigel Farage that the system failed Henry.

"But the language he uses here is not just wrong, it's the language of Black Lives Matter."

The Tory leader says she's "tired of people arguing whether it's black lives or white lives that matter more. Every life matters."

Jared Evitts
BBC Newsbeat, reporting from Southampton

Here, near the home of the man who killed 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak, cans, bricks and flares were thrown at police officers in riot gear last night.

At the moment, the streets are much quieter – and cleaner - than they were yesterday evening.

Speaking to locals, many are nervous about talking to us.

Those that have do not want to be named or pictured, but have told us of their sadness and anger at what’s happened.

One student says he could hear the shouts of what was going on last night and it’s made him “think twice about stepping outside”.

Another person told me that protest is fine as long as it remains peaceful, adding “you can’t fight violence with violence”.

In an interview with the BBC's Lucy Manning, Hampshire Police Chief Constable Alexis Boon said the force is "sorry for handcuffing and arresting Henry [Nowak]". Here's a recap of what he said:

• He described bodycam footage of Nowak's arrest - which showed the 18-year-old being handcuffed after telling officers he had been stabbed - as "distressing" and a "very difficult watch"
• "I really feel for the family of Henry at this time", he said, adding that he understands "their point of view and why they're upset with the police"
• Asked about his officers' actions shown in the footage, Boon said they respond to "really difficult, unpredictable situations", and that an investigation by the police watchdog will aim to understand "what they did and why they did it"
• The officers involved have not been suspended, but are not currently on frontline duties, he said. One of the four has left the force, though not in relation to the incident
• On claims of "two-tier policing" from figures such as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, Boon said he doesn't recognise the allegations, and said he sees officers "day in, day out" doing their job for all communities
• The chief constable described the scenes on the streets of Southampton last night as "disgraceful", adding that people arrived "intent" on violence and causing damage. He said officers worked "bravely and courageously" to protect the community
• Asked about Farage's call for "pure cold rage" in response to the incident, Boon said it's "not for me" to comment on individual politicians, but added that they have "a level of responsibility"

Chief Constable Boon is asked by the BBC's Lucy Manning whether he would consider his position as the head of the force.

He replies that he is not resigning and is awaiting the outcome of the independent investigation to determine "what we should do differently".

Boon adds he "can't prejudge" what the investigation will determine, but they will implement anything that is recommended.

That's the end of Hampshire Police Chief Constable Alexis Boon's interview with the BBC - we'll recap the key lines shortly.

Image source, PA Media

Alexis Boon describes the scenes on the streets of Southampton on Tuesday night as "disgraceful", and says people arrived "intent" on violence and causing damage.

He says he "feels really sorry" for the community, and that his force put a "robust and good policing operation together".

Officers worked "bravely and courageously" to protect the community despite having missiles thrown at them and suffering "horrible abuse", he says.

They did their job "very successfully", he adds.

The Hampshire Police chief constable is asked about Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's call for "pure cold rage" in response to the incident.

Boon says it's "not for me" to comment on individual politicians, but adds that they have "a level of responsibility" - and most "would not want to see" that violence and disorder on the streets.

Officers need to be held to account, he says, but they also need support from politicians.

Asked about what has happened to the four officers involved in Henry Nowak's arrest, Boon says they are being treated as witnesses by the IOPC.

He says they are not suspended, but are not currently on frontline duties. One of the four has left the force, though not in relation to the incident - as we reported earlier.

The chief constable refuses to be drawn on what the IOPC might find about their conduct.

He says some of the violence seen in Southampton on Tuesday night is an example of people prejudging evidence and making assessments of what may or may not have happened, and "using it as an excuse to commit violence".

The chief constable is asked whether he believes racism was a factor in the way officers responded to the incident.

Boon says the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will look at that during their investigation.

Asked whether he thinks there has been too much of a move in policing to take account of factors like anti-racism, Boon says "there's an argument and a narrative out there that that is the case".

But, he adds, he doesn't recognise allegations of "two-tier policing" which have come from figures including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

He says he sees officers "day in, day out" doing their job for all communities, without fear or favour.

Boon says there is an independent investigation under way into what happened, and asks people not to pre-judge its conclusions or make assumptions before all the evidence is considered.

Nonetheless, he says, you cannot fail to be moved when watching the bodycam footage of Henry's arrest.

The chief constable is asked by the BBC's Lucy Manning what he thinks of his officers' actions as shown in the bodycam footage.

He says they respond to "really difficult, unpredictable situations, and we need them to do that day in day out", and reiterates that there is an independent investigation which will aim to understand "what they did and why they did it".

That said, Boon adds that he is concerned people are using the situation "to propagate violence".

The footage is "distressing" but "what we mustn't do is prejudge what was in the officers' minds".

The head of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary tells the BBC the force is "sorry for handcuffing and arresting Henry".

In an interview with the BBC's Lucy Manning, Chief Constable Alexis Boon says the bodycam footage of Henry Nowak being arrested and handcuffed after telling officers he had been stabbed was a "very difficult watch".

"What was filmed there is a tragedy, an absolute tragedy, you can't help but be affected by it."

He adds: "I really feel for the family of Henry at this time."

The chief constable says he understands "their point of view and why they're upset with the police", which he says is why the force have said "we are sorry for handcuffing and arresting Henry" at that time.

Lucy Manning
Special correspondent, reporting from Southampton

Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Donna Jones says Henry Nowak's family were "disappointed" to see the violent protests in Southampton on Tuesday night.

Jones tells the BBC she has spoken to the 18-year-old's family, who told her: "They do not support protests, they do not support the kind of unrest that we saw on the streets.

"They've called for calm, and if you recall back to Mark Nowak's statement on the steps of the court on Monday this week, when his son’s murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment, he actually said quite the opposite - he asked for calm and he asked for reflection.

"What they don't want is hate and division coming off the back of the tragedy of Henry's death.”

Southampton Test MP Satvir Kaur has been out meeting constituents who were affected by last night's disorder.

The Labour MP says: "The brutal murder of Henry Nowak has really shook our community to its core and people are rightly really upset, distressed and sad.

"And actually last night's riots have made people scared too.

"I'm speaking to mums who are scared to send their children out and people that are too scared to actually open the door.

"Southampton is a great, strong, diverse city and what happened last night does not reflect us."

Duncan Kennedy
South of England correspondent, reporting from Southampton

The streets around the protest area are now calm, but there's a lot of clearing up being done.

This is an area of semi-detached houses and student accommodation. Amid the umbrellas and driving rain, local resident Sophie tells me she had a brick smash her car window.

"It was very frightening," she says, "there were missiles being thrown and smoke bombs being let off."

Another neighbour had his fence trampled and a brick wall torn down, to be used as missiles by the demonstrators.

The man, who didn't want to be named, says he "didn't dare come out, it was that bad".

Nick Johnson
Reporting from Southampton

A shrine to Henry Nowak has been placed outside a local police station, only a few moments’ walk from the epicentre of last night’s disorder.

Some of the placards bearing Henry’s picture also carry a logo of the group Remigration Now.

Remigration Now is a group that calls for remigration, which is widely understood to mean the mass "return" or deportation of people with a migrant background.