Nottingham attacks victims' families slam police for 'ongoing mismanagement'

26 February 2024 , 18:02

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Grace O'Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates (Image: PA)

The families of the victims of the Nottingham triple murder have criticised police for "ongoing mismanagement" of the case as they continue to grieve.

Valdo Calocane, 32, fatally stabbed two university students and a man in the Midlands city and will "most probably" spend the rest of his life in a high-security medical facility because of his paranoid schizophrenia. Despite this, family members slammed the verdict, local mental health services and the whole legal process, arguing that Calocane should have been tried for murder, rather than for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility as a result of his mental illness.

In his sentencing, Justice Mark Turner said Calocane had "deliberately and mercilessly" stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in the early hours of June 13 last year. At the time of his rampage, Calocane was wanted by police for failing to appear in court for assaulting an officer nine months earlier, on one of several occasions when police had taken him to a mental hospital.

At the doorsteps of the courthouse a month ago, surrounded by friends of the victims, Barnaby’s mother, Emma Webber, said “there’s a very good chance our beautiful boy would be alive today” if police had done their jobs ”properly.”

Valdo Calocane stabbed three people to death in Nottingham last June (PA)

Today, in a new joint statement, the families said: "The Home Office has been notified of our continued grave concerns and our alarm at the gagging of the press to print news in the public interest. We currently await the response of the Home Secretary and have also written to the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer, to ask for a further meeting with him and his shadow ministers.

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"We understand that this is a lengthy and detailed statement, however feel that it is of the utmost importance that our serious concerns and ongoing mismanagement by the Nottingham Police are brought to light. We will not be silenced. This behaviour must be addressed and urgent changes made as this must not happen again to other innocent families."

Calocane repeatedly stabbed Webber and O’Malley-Kumar as they walked home around dawn after celebrating the end of exams at the University of Nottingham, where they had both excelled, particularly on the sports field. Soon after, Calocane encountered school caretaker Ian Coates, who was months away from retirement.

Caolcane stabbed Coates and stole his van. He then ran down three people in the streets before he was stopped by police. Calocane, who had formerly been a student at the university, admitted to three counts of attempted murder relating to the pedestrians he deliberately targeted.

Rachel Hagan