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BBC News
28-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'Nottingham needs powerful voice in attacks inquiry'
Survivors of the Nottingham attacks have written to city MPs to create a "powerful voice on the national stage" amid the public inquiry, their solicitor has Calocane stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, to death before striking three pedestrians with a van, seriously injuring them, on 13 June scope of the public inquiry, which will make recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future, was published by the government last week, marking its official Almond, from Rothera Bray Solicitors, is representing two of the three survivors and said the city needed a "co-ordinated approach" to the probe. Wayne Birkett and Sharon Miller, along with Marcin Gawronski, survived being struck by a van which Calocane stole from Mr Coates but were left with life-changing who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia before the attacks, was sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024 after admitting three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted case has prompted a number of reviews, including a mental health homicide review commissioned by NHS this year the families of Mr Webber, Ms O'Malley-Kumar and Mr Coates, alongside Ms Miller and Mr Birkett, were invited to Downing Street to discuss the details on the by retired judge Her Honour Deborah Taylor, it will examine the management of Calocane's risk to others, the events on the day of the attacks and timeline of incidents of unauthorised accessing of information of public its terms of reference, Mr Almond said: "They hopefully will ensure that we get the answers that we need, both for my clients and for the people of Nottingham." Mr Birkett and Ms Miller have written to Nottingham MPs and East Midlands mayor Claire Ward to ask for a meeting to create a "joined-up approach" and ensure recommendations from the inquiry are implemented."I think that's what Nottingham needs, so that there is a joined up approach from the various elected leaders," said Mr Almond said the public inquiry was "very important" to Mr Birkett and Ms Miller so they "can move forward with their lives".He added: "They want to draw a line under this terrible incident that's affected them completely unexpectedly, they were just on the way to work."They want to try and hopefully get back to work if they can, and try and live a normal life."
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Nottingham victims' families call for manslaughter charges against NHS
The families of the Nottingham attack victims have called for corporate manslaughter charges to be brought against the NHS. Dr Sanjoy Kumar, the father of Grace O'Malley-Kumar, said staff had failed 'at every level' after it emerged the man who killed his daughter was sectioned four times and let go without an effective plan in place on each occasion. Valdo Calocane killed O'Malley-Kumar, 19, alongside fellow student Barnaby Webber, 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three other people in Nottingham in June 2023. Calocane, 34, was originally charged with murder, but this was downgraded to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility because of his paranoid schizophrenia. There have been two major reports into Calocane's treatment before the killings, but Dr Kumar told The Telegraph he rejected their findings. He said that while they highlighted errors and made recommendations, individuals had still not been held accountable. Dr Kumar said: 'They need to pay the price with legal action like corporate manslaughter.' He said the families of the victims would be travelling to London to meet Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, next month to ask him to hold individual medical staff accountable. Dr Kumar said the families had been failed by staff working at 'every level' within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. 'It is clear they don't learn lessons,' he said. 'I will now endeavour to get all the staff and psychiatrists named who failed us. That is how we will stop this national epidemic of mental health-related homicide by holding individuals accountable. 'Calocane, the monster, was sectioned four times. Each time the lazy medics did nothing new in their management. They left this 30-year-old animal with 17 to 18-year-old students in the same halls of residence.' An independent review into Calocane's treatment history before the killings was published in full in February However, NHS officials had initially only planned to publish a summary of the 302-page report as they were concerned it contained his confidential medical details. It was only after the families raised concerns that NHS England made an about-turn and agreed to publish it in full. Dr Kumar said: 'If someone needed four hip replacements, their orthopaedic surgeon would be held accountable. So why, if someone is sectioned four times, are medics not held accountable? 'My mission is to end all mental health homicide in our country in the name of my brave and beautiful daughter. We must live in the safest country in Europe, our children in schools, on buses and colleges must be safe. All our relatives must be safe.' The investigation highlighted repeated failures to treat Calocane's paranoid schizophrenia and escalating violent outbursts. Doctors responsible for his care ignored repeated requests for Calocane to be given a community treatment order and long-acting antipsychotic drugs, despite pleas from nurses treating him in the community, who managed the risk to themselves by not visiting him alone. He was admitted to hospital and sectioned under the Mental Health Act four times between 2020 and 2022 because of his violent behaviour and refusal to take his medication. Mental health services eventually lost track of him and discharged him to a GP in the months before the attacks. Violent psychosis The investigation found Calocane's care team accepted he did not want to take a long-lasting antipsychotic drug for reasons including 'him not liking needles'. The authors also echoed concerns from a report published six months before by the Care Quality Commission, which identified five missed opportunities to deal with Calocane's violent psychosis. It found Calocane regularly failed to take his schizophrenia medication and there was a 'theme running through his clinical records' that he did not believe he was ill. Last week, the terms of reference for the public inquiry, which will begin hearing evidence later this year, were published for the first time. It will examine the role of prosecutors, police and medical staff in the years leading up to the killings, and their response in the aftermath. Nottinghamshire Police has previously admitted it should have done more to arrest Calocane sooner. A warrant for his arrest in relation to an assault on an emergency worker had been outstanding for nine months before the killings. The inquiry will also look at the police decision not to take toxicology samples from Calocane following the attack.
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Telegraph
Nottingham inquiry to examine why police didn't carry out toxicology tests on killer
The Nottingham inquiry will examine why toxicology samples were not taken from the attacker in the immediate aftermath of the killings, the Government has said. Valdo Calocane killed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. Calocane, 33, was originally charged with murder, but this was downgraded to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility because of his paranoid schizophrenia. He was given an indefinite hospital order last year, but the families of the victims have repeatedly raised concerns over the fact he was not tested for drugs in the aftermath of the attack. The Telegraph previously revealed that, the night before the killings, Calocane travelled to London and attended a barbecue with a violent, cannabis-using gangster. The next day he boarded a train back to Nottingham, dressed all in black and armed with a double-edged dagger, before launching his murderous assault in the early hours of June 13. After being arrested, Calocane refused to allow officers to take any blood or urine samples, and police did not take a sample of his hair for testing. Announcing the terms of reference for the public inquiry on Thursday, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that it would be looking at how Calocane was dealt with while in custody. It said it will review 'any assessment of medical and mental health issues and drug testing, and provision of appropriate medical support'. It will also look at the forensic strategy used by Nottinghamshire Police, such as the lack of toxicology and decisions made with regards to taking samples. During Calocane's sentencing hearing, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, Grace's father, questioned why no toxicology tests had been carried out in the immediate aftermath of the killings. Psychiatrists insisted there was no suggestion that substance misuse had played a role in Calocane's declining mental health. The inquiry aims to report back within two years with recommendations to prevent similar incidents. Witnesses from Nottinghamshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) could also be compelled to give evidence. The inquiry will look at the acceptance of Calocane's diminished responsibility plea, and whether enough information was obtained prior to making that decision. The Independent Office for Police Conduct previously concluded that officers failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane, which could have stopped his murders a month later. The Ministry of Justice said the management of Calocane's risk to others in the lead-up to the attacks and public servants' accessing of information without authorisation will also form part of the inquiry. The victims' families previously said claims that healthcare staff illegally accessed medical records belonging to their loved ones were 'sickening' and 'inexcusable'. Three Nottinghamshire Police officers faced disciplinary action for viewing material about the case without any legitimate reason. There have also been alleged data breaches by staff working for HM Prison and Probation Service and HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Emergency services staff who responded to the attacks will also be scrutinised by the inquiry as part of a 'detailed examination' of events on the day of the killings. Senior retired judge Deborah Taylor, who jailed Boris Becker, the former tennis star, after he avoided paying his debts, will chair the inquiry. Shabana Mahmood, the Lord Chancellor, said: 'The bereaved families and survivors of the Nottingham attacks, who have suffered so much, deserve to know how these horrific incidents were able to happen. 'I am pleased this inquiry is now under way, and I know her honour Deborah Taylor will undertake a fearless and thorough examination of the facts to prevent tragedies like this happening again.' The announcement comes as the victims' families said they have made plans to return to Nottingham to mark the second anniversary of the attacks. Barnaby's mother, Emma Webber, said she had approached both the University of Nottingham and Nottingham city council, but had not yet received a response in how they could support marking the anniversary. She said: 'The people of Nottingham continue to shower us with their love, empathy and support, something that the leaders of the city fail to do. Given that it is less than two weeks until the 13th, we have decided that we will, as united families, travel to the two terrible locations where the vicious attacks were carried out. 'Whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, we will ensure justice is served, and all of those who failed will be held fully to account.'
The Independent
22-05-2025
- The Independent
Prosecutors, police and doctors to be scrutinised in Nottingham attacks probe
Prosecutors, police and medical professionals will be scrutinised by a two-year public inquiry into the fatal Nottingham attacks, the Government has announced. Valdo Calocane killed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. The inquiry aims to report back within two years with recommendations to prevent similar incidents, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said. Witnesses from Nottinghamshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) could be compelled to give evidence, the Government said on Thursday. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) previously prepared a report which concluded that officers failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane which could have stopped his murder spree a month later. Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder – something which has been widely criticised by the victims' families. The MoJ said the management of Calocane's risk to others in the lead-up to the attacks and public servants accessing information without authorisation will form part of the inquiry. The victims' families previously said claims that healthcare staff illegally accessed medical records belonging to their loved ones were 'sickening' and 'inexcusable'. Three Nottinghamshire Police officers also faced disciplinary action for viewing material about the case without any legitimate reason, and there have been alleged data breaches by staff working for HM Prison and Probation Service and HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Emergency services staff who responded to the attacks will also be scrutinised by the inquiry as part of a 'detailed examination' of events on the day of the killings. Senior retired judge Deborah Taylor, who jailed former tennis star Boris Becker after he avoided paying his debts, will chair the inquiry. Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood said: 'The bereaved families and survivors of the Nottingham attacks, who have suffered so much, deserve to know how these horrific incidents were able to happen. 'I am pleased this inquiry is now under way and I know her honour Deborah Taylor will undertake a fearless and thorough examination of the facts to prevent tragedies like this happening again.'
BBC News
22-05-2025
- BBC News
Nottingham attacks inquiry officially starts
The terms of reference for the public inquiry into the Nottingham attacks have been published, marking its official Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65 were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane on 13 June inquiry will examine the management of Calocane's risk to others, the events on the day of the attacks and timeline of incidents of unauthorised accessing of information by public is being chaired by retired judge Her Honour Deborah Taylor and has been told to report back within two years.
