Latest news with #NottinghamAttacks
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."
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.
BBC News
10-05-2025
- BBC News
Nottingham attacks victim's father 'united' with survivors
The father of a student killed in the Nottingham attacks has said the survivors also deserve answers from a public inquiry into what Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski were all seriously injured after Valdo Calocane hit them with a stolen van in the city centre on 13 June that morning, he fatally stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, father, Sanjoy Kumar, described the pedestrians as "living victims" and said everyone affected by the attacks was "united" ahead of a judge-led public inquiry announced earlier in the year. Dr Kumar's comments came after Ms Miller, 46, and Mr Birkett, 61, shared their stories for the first time and explained how they feel a strong sense of survivor's guilt. Mr Birkett said: "I would have swapped my life for one of those poor students - without a doubt."It was awful hearing what happened to them [in the court case]. What happened to me was nothing compared to that."While Ms Miller added: "When I heard what had happened to Barnaby or Grace, I thought, 'I wish he'd took me instead of them'."They were so young and still had their lives ahead of them - you just feel so guilty." Dr Kumar said: "We all within this process have a sense of guilt."I wasn't there on the night to protect my daughter. There are all kinds of complex emotions from everyone who's involved in this case."The families all suffer from a whole wide range of post-traumatic stress disorder and one of the characteristics is guilt."Our friends also suffer with guilt and feelings like survivors do - it's really quite amazing how far-reaching the feelings of despair are."We are united in trying to find why these preventable attacks happened." Calocane, 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 earlier this year, Ms Miller and Mr Birkett, alongside the families of Mr Webber, Ms O'Malley-Kumar and Mr Coates, were invited to Downing Street to discuss plans for a judge-led public both plan to engage fully with the inquiry, set to be chaired by Her Honour Deborah Taylor, and hope it will provide answers that lead to meaningful changes to help prevent similar incidents in the Kumar said: "Our children shouldn't have died, there were failures across the system that were preventable."We are going to make sure that this inquiry is as wide-reaching as possible."
The Independent
09-05-2025
- The Independent
Nottingham attack survivor says she wishes killer ‘had taken me instead'
A survivor of the Nottingham attacks has told how she wishes the killer had taken her instead of the two young students who 'had their lives ahead of them'. Sharon Miller was walking to work on the morning of June 13 2023 when she was hit by a van driven by Valdo Calocane in the city centre. Calocane had already fatally stabbed university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, an hour earlier. Ms Miller and two other pedestrians, Wayne Birkett and Marcin Gawronski, who were also struck by the van, were left seriously injured. In an interview with BBC East Midlands Today, Ms Miller said it was the emotional damage and the guilt of surviving that weighed heaviest. 'When I heard what had happened to Barnaby or Grace, I thought: 'I wish he'd took me instead of them',' Ms Miller, 46, said. 'They were so young and still had their lives ahead of them – you just feel so guilty.' 'You should be able to go to work, and they should be able to walk around. Ian should have been able to get into his van and go to work. It's just so wrong.' Mr Birkett, 61, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost all memory of the attack and of his life before it, echoed the same feeling: 'I would have swapped my life for one of those poor students – without a doubt.' The forklift driver spent more than six weeks in hospital and has had to relearn how to read, eat and perform basic tasks. 'It's horrible not having any memory,' he said. 'My legs hurt all the time, my back hurts, I get headaches all the time.' Ms Miller, who had been heading to her job as a cleaner when she was hit, said: 'I saw the van, and the next minute I'm in the air. I thought I was dying – all I could see was white.' She broke five ribs, injured her spleen and was left with a badly infected leg wound. 'I'm still in a lot of pain,' she said. 'I don't like going out. I was never like that before.' Calocane, who had paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January after admitting three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and three counts of attempted murder. Ms Miller and Mr Birkett are among those expected to give evidence to a public inquiry into the attacks, chaired by Judge Deborah Taylor. Their solicitor, Greg Almond, said: 'They want to put their story across and make sure they're not forgotten survivors.'
