A female ex-police officer has been forced to move to a safe house after she was wrongly identified online as being involved in the Henry Nowak murder case.
Christi Hill, who served as a police constable for 12 years, has had her name and photograph circulated on social media, alongside accusations of her being a ‘murderer’.
The under-fire former officer has now accused Hampshire Constabulary of a ‘clear lack of support’ to ‘rectify’ the situation as she hunkers down in a safe space, scared for her safety.
Mr Nowak, 18, was handcuffed by police and wrongly accused of being a racist as he lay dying on the floor after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, 23, in December last year.
The victim had told police he had been stabbed and could not breathe but was not believed by the officers who detained him.
Meanwhile Digwa, who was jailed for murder for 21 years on Monday, was not even handcuffed when he was taken into custody.
Anger has reached boiling point over the horrific incident with false claims made online over who were the arresting officers.
Christi Hill, who served as a police constable for 12 years, has had her name and photograph circulated on social media, alongside accusations of her being a ‘murderer’
Henry Nowak, 18, was a finance student at the University of Southampton and was described as ‘kind and talented’ by his family
Police bodycam footage shows innocent victim Henry Nowak, 18, being forced into handcuffs by officers after he was stabbed repeatedly by a knife-obsessed Sikh man
Anti-police protesters took to the streets of Southampton yesterday, to show their fury at the way the police treated Mr Nowak amid claims of two-tier policing.
Hampshire Constabulary has said that they will not be naming the officers involved.
The claims online have included the wrongful incrimination of Ms Hill and another officer.
This comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood yesterday said a male police officer had been misidentified as one of those involved and that he had to move out of his home.
The damaging allegations have now also been published on AI platform Grok.
Ms Hill served as an officer in Portsmouth for 12 years before leaving the force in April 2024 – 20 months before the murder took place.
She has now released a statement, which reads: ‘I am writing this post with a heavy heart, both out of deep sadness for a tragic event and out of a necessity to protect my reputation, safety and peace of mind.
‘Today, my name and image have been widely circulated on social media, and now by AI platforms such as Grok, falsely identifying me as one of the arresting officers in the Henry Nowak case.
‘To be absolutely clear, I was not involved in this incident. In fact, I left Hampshire Constabulary in April 2024.
‘The tragic events involving Henry Nowak occurred in December 2025.
Murderer Vickrum Digwa is seen lying to police as he tells them the teenager ripped off his turban in a racist attack
An image issued by the Crown Prosecution Service shows the eight-inch ceremonial dagger used by Digwa
Murderer Digwa lied to police at the scene, telling officers Mr Nowak had not been stabbed and had instead attack him
Should police do more to protect innocent people from online misinformation and public outrage?
‘The confusion stems from a national police bravery award media release. A photo of myself and a former colleague who has also been wrongfully targeted is being repeatedly shared and misattributed to this case.
‘It is alarming to see how quickly a piece of outdated media can be weaponised by algorithms and accepted as fact by AI platforms, despite being factually impossible.
‘It is deeply unsettling to have my name wrongly attached to such a high-profile and sensitive matter whilst there has been a clear lack of support from Hampshire Constabulary in rectifying this false narrative in a timely manner.
‘My primary thoughts remain with the family affected by this tragedy. They deserve justice and clarity, not the noise of online misinformation.
‘I kindly ask my network to help share this clarification.’
The former officer’s mother Nikki Hill added: ‘It’s been terrible seeing her name and face all over the internet calling her a murderer.’
A Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson said: ‘We know there has been significant commentary following the sentencing of Vickrum Digwa and we recognise the desire for answers about the police response that night.
‘However, what we cannot accept is the significant spread of misinformation online by those intent on causing further fear and division by making threats to officers and sharing names that are simply not true.
‘A police officer unrelated to this case has been misidentified online and subject to death threats.
‘The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is continuing its independent investigation into our response on the night in question, following our self-referral the next day.
‘While that progresses, we ask that people avoid harmful speculation online.’
