Two men have been jailed for their roles in violent disorder during a Southampton protest following the murder of Henry Nowak — in scenes a judge described as a “hate crime borne out of a hatred for police and in some part racist views,” as a baying mob surrounded officers and pelted them with projectiles.
Father-of-two Daniel Frost, 44, from Southampton, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison at Southampton Crown Court for violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon. Frost had fashioned a dog lead with a metal carabiner into what the court described as a “makeshift knuckleduster.” Reece Robinson, 21, of Havant, was jailed for two years for violent disorder after throwing two stones or small bricks at police during the protest in the Portswood area of Southampton on 2 June.
Judge William Mousley KC did not mince his words in sentencing. “This violence was a hate crime borne out of a hatred for police and in some part racist views,” he told the court.
Henry Nowak, 18, was stabbed to death in Southampton in December 2025 by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely told responding officers he had been the victim of a racial attack — a lie that caused police to handcuff the dying teenager as he pleaded for help. Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 21 years. Hampshire Police subsequently apologised for their officers’ conduct and the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating.
The murder triggered protests across Southampton, with some descending into serious violence. Henry Nowak’s family have consistently urged the public not to respond to his death with disorder or hatred, asking instead for calm and meaningful action on knife crime.
