25 January 2024 , 12:18
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This is the shocking moment an unknown hero saved countless lives by pushing a rampaging knifeman out a window.
Valdo Calocane claimed three lives and left three others badly injured during an early morning knife and van attack across Nottingham on June 13 last year.
The 32-year-old killed university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, as they walked home from a night out, celebrating the end of their academic year. Calocane then stabbed beloved school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, 15 times, leaving him for dead as he stole his van and rammed into three people. The court heard they were extremely fortunate to have survived.
Officers chased Calocane down, before finding him behind the wheel of the van with a "dagger" in hand where they Tasered him. The prosecution accepted Calocane’s pleas of not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter - after consulting with the families. Today (Thursday), Caloncane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order at a high security hospital, subject to special restrictions.
But, after Calocane killed the two university students, he made his way to a residential hostel where he arrived around 5am. Just minutes later, the killer was captured on CCTV trying to force his way into the hostel through a ground-floor window. Calocane can be seen climbing on the ledge and trying to haul himself up and in.
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It raises the chilling prospect of the killer gaining entry into the hostel and continuing his stabbing spree there. However, he was stopped by an unknown hero. On CCTV a hand can be seen reaching out to Calocane and shoving him back from the window. The killer is clearly discouraged, and walks away, and just 10 minutes later he attacked and killed Mr Coates.
An unknown hero pushed Calocane from the window after the initial double-killing (Nottinghamshire Police)In court, the families of the three victims spoke movingly in their victim impact statements, often directly addressing Calocane. In the moments before she died, Grace bravely tried to fight off the attacker.
Beloved school caretaker and Nottingham Forest fan Ian Coates (Miro Photography)
Grace tried to fight off the attacker, pushing him into the road (PA)In an interview with Sky News, her brother James, 17, said: “Grace's last moments were in pain and that's something that really hurts me to think about and she was a hero, that was her character. She tried her best to save her friend. That was how Grace lost her life in the most vulnerable manner. She would never leave a friend, never, and that was very evident from her last moments. She passed fighting."
Barnaby Webber had been walking home with Grace after a night out when Calocane attacked them (PA)Grace’s father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, spoke in court about his pride that his daughter had followed in his footsteps. He said: “When she decided to study medicine I was so proud. She aspired to be in the Royal Army Medical Corps and then in the NHS, she had a moral code she used to beat people with. She was my best friend and the love of my life and I thought I was the luckiest man in the world having my daughter and son.
"You planned your attack, you bought multiple knives and picked children to attack. Our children. Then you went and attacked an elderly man, the weakest members of society and that is cowardly and unforgivable. You showed yourself to be a cold, calculating and cowardly killer, you brought violence to our shores and to our doors."