Hampshire Police planned to issue a statement addressing "disinformation" during the trial of Henry Nowak's killer but were cautioned by the Crown Prosecution Service that such an intervention could jeopardise the case.
Concerns had reportedly mounted within the force regarding online commentary and the potential for public disorder, prompting them to seek the CPS's guidance on communicating with the public.
Prosecutors advised the police that issuing a message, even one promising to address questions post-proceedings, risked impacting the "integrity" of the case against Vickrum Digwa.
The trial concerned the death of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed by police officers who ignored his pleas that he had been stabbed. This occurred after Digwa claimed to have been the victim of a racist attack in December last year, with Mr Nowak subsequently dying while in custody.
Digwa was ultimately handed a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in prison for stabbing Mr Nowak with a 21cm ceremonial knife, carried as part of his Sikh faith. Public anger intensified following the release of police body-worn video, which depicted Mr Nowak being placed in handcuffs moments before he lost consciousness and died.
Eleven people have since been charged after violent clashes at protests following the sentencing.
It is understood the statement contained information about the process of a court case, reminded people that nothing could be published that could prejudice legal proceedings, and said that police would answer questions once the trial was complete.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “The CPS highlighted to the police that protecting the integrity of the ongoing trial was essential, and of the risks of referring to any aspect of the evidence before it had been heard by the court and the case had been summed up by the judge to the jury.
“However, it was made clear that whether a statement was released was ultimately a police operational decision.”
A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police told The Sunday Times: “Following the opening of the trial and the media reporting that followed, a significant amount of mis- and disinformation was circulating online.
“This included requests for information to be shared that had not been fully examined as part of the murder trial.
“The intention of the statement was to remind the public that there were ongoing legal proceedings and that the law is clear that nothing could be published which could prejudice the trial.
“The decision not to publish was taken following advice from the CPS.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating Hampshire Police’s response in Mr Nowak’s case.
Mr Nowak’s father Mark has said the family “do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension”, but the police’s treatment of the student has sparked a political row.
The Prime Minister has urged politicians to heed the teenager’s relatives’ calls not to use the case “to cause disturbances” while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been criticised for saying people should respond with “pure, cold rage”.
Writing in The Sunday Times, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused police leaders of “institutional incompetence” through the training officers are given.
She said: “It is the police chiefs, operationally independent from government, who must take responsibility for letting that happen.
“I believe the issue is the training [officers] are given. Well-meaning, but totally wrong-headed, lacking in common sense and, possibly illegal… The problem is not institutional racism towards blacks or whites but institutional incompetence.”
On Friday US vice president JD Vance said there should be “righteous anger” in response to the murder of Mr Nowak, which he partly blamed on “the mass invasion of migrants”.
His extraordinary comments triggered a response from Downing Street, which criticised “people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets”.
No 10 has also hit out at US tech billionaire Elon Musk, accusing him of trying to “whip up division” after he said he was willing to fund a private prosecution against Hampshire Police.
