Nottingham killer's chilling spiral from 'polite churchgoer' to 'raging psycho'
Valdo Calocane was once known as a 'polite churchgoer', but somewhere along the line, he instead became a raging killer.
The 32-year-old mechanical engineering student, now known as the 'Nottingham killer', will be detained indefinitely in a high-security hospital after he went on a knife rampage in Nottingham last June leaving three victims dead. His murderous spree, whilst suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, commenced at around 4am on June 13 in the Ilkeston Road area.
Medical student Grace O'Malley-Kumar and history student Barnaby Webber, both 19, were stabbed to death as the friends walked home from a night out. Caretaker Ian Coates, 65, who was just weeks away from retiring at Huntington Academy, was later killed two miles away in Mapperley Park. Calocane then stole Ian's van and drove into Nottingham city centre, where he careered into pedestrians at two separate locations.
Two victims - Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski - suffered minor injuries, while another man, Wayne Birkett, 58, was critically hurt. The rampage finally came to an end around a mile-and-a-half away in Hyson Green when the van was stopped and an arrest was made.
Grace O'Malley-Kumar was stabbed to death on June 13, last year (Nottinghamshire Police / SWNS)
Grace enjoyed playing hockey and cricketThe judge today sentenced Calocane to an indefinite high-security hospital order after he admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder. Mr Justice Turner said in court: "You committed a series of atrocities in this city which ended the lives of three people in this city. Your sickening crimes both shocked the nation and wrecked the lives of your surviving victims and the families of them all."
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Just a few years before his killing spree, Calocane was billed as 'The Psycho' by his university housemates, but before his 'Jekyll and Hyde' tendencies started to show, his life was a far cry away from his troubles in Nottingham. The killer had an "idyllic" upbringing in the Welsh market town of Haverfordwest, which he moved to with his parents from the West African country of Guinea-Bissau - where he was born in September 1991.
Neighbours described him as a polite churchgoer from a good family who would always say hello to them. He attended the Calvary Church along with his carer dad Amissao, 56, nurse mum Celeste, 44, and two younger siblings.
Neighbour Marlene Raymond, 55, previously said: "I can picture the eldest boy now in his school uniform, he was very smart and handsome. He was very bright, all three children are - they are a nice family and have been lovely neighbours for years.
"I haven't seen the oldest boy for some time - since he went away to college or uni. They are very clever, all of them are polite and intelligent children.” The family worship at the Calvary Church in Haverfordwest which is less than a quarter of a mile from their home.
When Calocane started at the University of Nottingham in 2019, he was nearly a decade older than other freshers. Fellow classmates on the mechanical engineering course described him as "quiet and aloof". But it was behind closed doors, in a string of shared student digs in Nottingham, where he showed his true colours.
Barnaby Webber was killed on his way home from a night out (Nottinghamshire Police / SWNS)
Caretaker Ian Coates was killed and had his van stolen (Miro Photography)Flatmates recalled how Calocane "hated noise" and would snap if he was disturbed while studying or sleeping. "He would lose it if we came back late from a night out and woke him up," one former student told the Mirror. "It was a bad mix. He was a guy in his late 20s, we were party animals barely out of our teens. Valdo was so volatile. He came storming out of his room in a rage without warning.
"He didn't attack any of us, he would just erupt shouting and get right in our faces. A few times he literally came into my room and was ranting and raving because I had my music on. It freaked me out, so I got a sliding lock put on the inside of my door to stop him doing it again."
A previously unearthed video showed Calocane putting a flatmate in a headlock during a furious row. He moved between various student accommodations during his time at the University of Nottingham. One block of flats was a stone's throw from where Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, were stabbed to death.
Calocane had a four-year history of mental disorder, the Mirror also revealed. He was referred to mental health services in 2020 and admitted to hospital in May that year, where he spent a month as an in-patient. Calocane was detained by police under the Mental Health Act in July 2020 and spent another month in hospital.
He was again detained by police under the Mental Health Act in November 2021 and January 2022 and once again released. After that point he refused to cooperate with mental health services.
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Valdo Calocane has appeared in court following the stabbings (PA)
Classmates told how Calocane often behaved strangelyCalocane eventually ended up living in a halfway house and failed to turn up for his graduation ceremony in August 2022. Calocane was charged with assaulting a police officer in Nottingham in September 2022. He failed to turn up to court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
The mature student was still on the run when he killed Barnaby, Grace and Ian in June last year. Despite initially facing murder charges, the prosecution eventually accepted guilty pleas on charges of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
On Wednesday, Calocane's barrister Peter Joyce KC urged the judge not to consider a whole-life order, saying paranoid schizophrenia is an "unwanted visitor" which "stalked down" a man of previously impeccable character and behaviour. On Thursday, after the court took extensive evidence from psychiatrists and other medical professionals, Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order at a high security hospital, subject to special restrictions.
Barnaby, Grace and Ian’s deaths shocked the nation. Thousands of people gathered at emotional vigils where relatives of the victims addressed the crowds and paid tribute to their loved ones. Barnaby and Grace were both talented cricketers. Grace was also a part of the university hockey team and had represented England at under-18 level in the sport.
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