3 days ago
Father of Nottingham attack victim complains after 'offensive' meeting with police watchdog which was started with a prayer
The father of a Nottingham attack victim has complained about a police watchdog boss who began a meeting with grieving families with a prayer.
Dr Sanjoy Kumar, whose daughter Grace was one of three people killed by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane during a rampage in June 2023, described the meeting as 'patronising and offensive.'
A two-year inquiry into the killings of students Ms O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, will scrutinise the role of prosecutors, police and medical professionals.
And it has now emerged that Dr Kumar believes a regional director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) behaved inappropriately when he met with the bereaved families nine months after the attack and started the meeting with a prayer.
'I found it patronising and offensive,' he told the Times.
'I didn't want a prayer, I wanted answers. I've lost my daughter and it was his job to give me the truth, not a prayer.
'There are plenty of places to pray and the IOPC isn't one of them.'
The regional director is understood to be Derrick Campbell, the watchdog's director of engagement.
A spokesman said: 'We can confirm we've received a complaint about one of our directors and we are dealing with it in line with our complaints and feedback procedure.'
The IOPC had previously issued a report which concluded that police failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane a month before his killing spree.
In a statement at the time, Mr Campbell said: 'Those who are closely impacted by our decision, including the bereaved families and the officers involved, have been notified and we will complete this work as quickly as possible.'
Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder.
The prosecution decision not to pursue murder charges has been widely criticised by the victims' families.
Barnaby's mother Emma Webber said in February last year that relatives had a lot of concerns 'that were in the most part wholly ignored' by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Senior retired judge Deborah Taylor will chair the inquiry, which aims to report back within two years, with recommendations to prevent similar incidents.
