Nottingham victims' families 'sickened' to learn cops shared details on WhatsApp
Police officers shared graphic details of the three Nottingham stabbing victims' injuries in a WhatsApp group, a misconduct hearing has heard.
Students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber as well as school caretaker Ian Coates were all stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane in an attack in Nottingham last June. An unnamed officer first shared details of their injuries in a WhatsApp message, and then a second officer, PC Matthew Gell, passed these on his wife and a friend. Barnaby's mother Emma Webber said it was an 'abhorrent' way to conduct an investigation.
Ms Webber, 51, said: "What an abhorrent way to conduct an investigation. We cannot emphasise how painful this tragedy is for all our families, and to learn that there has been internal needless voyeurism of the vicious knife attacks on our loved ones is unforgivable. We were not, at any point, made aware of this [data breach]."
Former Victims' Commissioner Dame Vera Baird said: "This is absolutely shocking." PC Gell reportedly received a final written warning while the unnamed officer got "extra learning". Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he has not ruled out a public inquiry into the attacks as police reportedly missed several opportunities to stop the killer's rampage.
Barnaby Webber's mother said it's an 'abhorrent' way to conduct an investigation (PA)Calocane pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility in January for killing the two Nottingham University students and local Ian. He will be detained indefinitely in Ashworth psychiatric hospital near Liverpool. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) did not know about the four previous times Nottinghamshire Police had contacted Calocane over his violent behaviour, it has been revealed. Officials are now looking at whether these were chances to stop the killer.
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Leicestershire Police has also reportedly referred itself to the IOPC. Students Barnaby and Grace were attacked on their way home from a night out stabbed to death in Ileston Road shortly after 4am on June 13 last year. Ian was found dead later in Magdala Road after his van was stolen.
The van was then driven at three pedestrians in Milton Street and Upper Parliament Street in Nottingham city centre. Grace and Barnaby, both 19, were just minutes from home when they were attacked.
Grandfather Ian Coates was killed alongside the two Nottingham students (Pixel8000)Calocane, who the court heard was suffering a "serious mental illness" at the time, is being sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court after his earlier guilty pleas to three counts of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility were accepted by prosecutors. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder after using the stolen van to run over three pedestrians.
Police also reportedly missed the chance to arrest Calocane just weeks before he went on the rampage. He was reported on May 5 after attacking two colleagues at a warehouse when he was already wanted for failing to attend a court hearing in 2022. Officers were still probing the attacks when Calocane killed the two students and caretaker Ian.
Calocane had originally been charged with three counts of murder but the CPS later concluded there was "no realistic prospect of conviction for murder" due to the 32-year-old suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, which "impaired his ability to exercise self-control".
Barnaby's parents earlier said they were "horrified" and "disgusted" at the lack of calls for an inquiry into killer Calocane’s attack. Mr Webber's mother Emma told BBC Breakfast in January that a review into the NHS Trust where Calocane was treated would just be "a toe in the water" and "not enough".
Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber outside Nottingham Crown Court (PA)She said: "It needs to be much more than reviewing the mental health failings and services in Nottingham. Also, the failings of the police to investigate and act accordingly up to the attacks and also the investigation of the case we've got real concerns about, and the way we've been managed by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] and of course, we're really unhappy with the outcome from last week."
The Health and Social Care Secretary has ordered a special review of the mental health services at Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust which will report back within weeks. Leicestershire Police have referred themselves to the police complaints body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and the Policing Minister has also met with senior leaders at Nottinghamshire Police to discuss the case.
Speaking immediately after the court case, the families of the three victims spoke damningly outside court, claiming that there had been a miscarriage of justice. Ms Webber said they had been “railroaded” and that they had “foolishly” trusted in the system. She added that “true justice has not been served today” and the families had been “let down” by the Crown Prosecution Service.
She referred to instances where the police and NHS had interacted with Calocane in the past. Nine times that emergency services interacted with the triple-killer, raising the prospect of whether he could have been stopped earlier, have been identified.
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Defence barrister Peter Joyce KC told Nottingham Crown Court how, in the first few months of the pandemic, Calocane was arrested for causing damage to a door in his flat. It came after a recent visit to hospital, and an assessment was carried out under the Mental Health Act 1983 where it was concluded that he was psychotic but only posed a low risk to others.
Calocane was released from Highbury Hospital in June 2020, the court was told, and the following month he was readmitted after trying to force his way into a flat. It was said he’d stopped taking his medication, The Sun reported.
19-year-old Grace has been called a 'hero' for trying to save her friend in the attacks (EssexLive)In August 2021 officers obtained a warrant, under the Mental Health Act, to gain entry into Calocane’s property after it was believed he was hiding symptoms of his mental illness, the prosecution told the court. The suspicions had arisen after a home visit by a health worker and Calocane then evading contact with the community team.
Then the following month police executed the warrant and search Calocane’s home. During this he allegedly assaults a police officer. The prosecution also said that a bag of unused medication, dating back to February of that year, was found. Calocane was admitted to in-patient services and remained there until October 2021. Following this, the prosecution said that Calocane began missing more appointments and “appearing confrontational”, Sky News reported.
In January 2022 following an alleged row about cleaning, the triple killer assaulted his flat mate, leading to police being called. A mental health assessment decided that he could still be treated within the community. Later on, he was admitted again to hospital, being held until late February.
In July and August of 2022 Calocane was due to collect medication, but is believed to have lied and claimed he was out of the country. Then, during a visit to his address, a resident told them that no one of that name lived there. A warrant was issued for Calocane’s arrest in September 2022 after he fails to attend court for assaulting a police officer a year prior.
In May 2023, just over a month before the attack, Calocane had been working at a warehouse in Kegworth, Leicestershire. Here he attacked two fellow employees. Following this, he was told he wouldn’t be allowed back on site but never responded.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin, who has led the overall policing response to the events of June 13, said: “The devastating impact that the events of 13 June have had and continue to have for the families of those killed and those that survived these dreadful attacks are immeasurable.
“I have personally reviewed this matter and we should have done more to arrest him. Of course, an arrest may have triggered a route back into mental health services, but as we have seen from his previous encounters with those services, it seems unlikely that he would have engaged in this process.”
Grace and Barnaby were close to home when they were attacked“On June 13, we acted fast and efficiently to take this dangerous offender off the streets of Nottingham. We referred ourselves to the IOPC after his arrest. This was because in the minutes before his arrest he was being followed by a police vehicle and ran over two pedestrians.
“This is a standard procedure when a crime occurs while a defendant is being followed by police. The IOPC investigated this matter and said we followed all relevant guidelines. This was one of the darkest days in our city’s history and our officers will continue to support all those families affected by this horrific crime."
Ian Coates was found dead with stab wounds on the night of the attack, with his van believed to have then been stolen by the attacker. Father and grandfather Mr Coates, from Nottingham, was on his way to work at Huntingdon Academy when he was murdered. His son Lee Coates said on Twitter after the attack “I’m broken” and that he is “still in shock”. His employer said he was a "beloved and respected member of the Huntingdon Academy staff".
In a statement confirming the death of Mr Coates, Ross Middleton, Executive Headteacher, Huntingdon Academy and Warren Academy, said: “Ian was a much-loved colleague who always went the extra mile for the benefit of our children and will be greatly missed.
“As a school community, it will take time to process this deeply upsetting news. We wish to extend our sympathy and condolences to all those affected by yesterday’s tragic events.”
First year students Grace and Barnaby were just minutes from home on the way back from a night out in Pryzm night club when Calocane attacked them. Locals told of hearing the students’ “blood-curdling screams” as the pair were stabbed to death on Ilkeston Road in the early morning of Tuesday, June 13.
A nearby resident, who would not give his name, told of seeing a man dressed all in black "grappling with some people”. “She was screaming ‘Help!’ I just wish I’d shouted something out of the window to unnerve the assailant," the resident said.
A couple who live nearby reportedly said their home security camera captured the horrific incident and described how Grace 'tried to save' her friend. They said the attacker struck from behind: “He attacked the boy first – the girl had an opportunity to run away. But she didn't, she tried to get the man off her friend. She tried to save the boy.”
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