Nottingham attack families’ full response to Valdo Calocane’s sentence
Families of the Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane’s victims have hit out at police, the NHS and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after he was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.
University students Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley Kumar and school caretaker Ian Coates were stabbed to death by Calocane in the city on June 13 last year.
Their families have spoken out after a judge, Mr Justice Turner, ruled that Calocane was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and should therefore be detained in a high-security hospital for medical treatment.
Here are the statements in full:
Emma Webber (Barnaby’s mother)
Justice has not been served today. We as a devastated family have been let down by multiple agency failings in effectiveness. The CPS did not consult with us, as has been reported.
Instead, we’ve been rushed, hastened and railroaded. The first meeting we had with them at our behest was Friday the 24th of November; a few short days before the pre-trial plea hearing on the 28th.
For the record, they had suggested meeting us just an hour before the morning of the pre-trial hearing, something we felt was far too late.
We were presented with a fait accompli that the decision had been made to accept manslaughter charges – at no point during the previous five and a half months were we given any indication that this could conclude in anything other than [conviction for] murder.
We trusted in our system foolishly, as it turns out. We do not dispute that the murderer is mentally unwell and has been for a number of years. However, the premeditated planning, the collection of lethal weapons, hiding in the shadows and brutality of the attacks are that of an individual who knew exactly what he was doing.
He knew entirely that it was wrong, but he did it anyway.
This has been a trial by doctors. Why was there no mental health assessment during his time in custody? Why is it that the first time he had an assessment for the defence report was only in July? Why did he not begin to receive any treatment for his illness until mid-September? Why did he remain in prison until the first of November before being moved to a secure unit?
And importantly, why did Dr Blackwood – instructed by the CPS in August – wait until the 14th of November to interview and assess him? So many questions.
To Nottingham Police – we additionally have grave concerns regarding aspects of the investigation. Why were we repeatedly told throughout the summer that the offender was a sofa surfer and had no true abode. That’s not true. He did. One that was registered in his name in Nottingham, and one that he had been in for about six months prior to his eviction on the 11th of June last year. Why?
It took repeated questioning from us to finally receive an answer late last Friday afternoon to the question of his outstanding warrant issued in September 2022 for a vicious attack on a police officer – such a violent assault that he was tasered.
To Rob Griffin, the assistant chief constable, who finally released this information publicly on Wednesday, I say this. You have blood on your hands. If you had just done your jobs properly there’s a very good chance my beautiful boy would be alive today.
There is so much more to say and clearly serious questions regarding this case and events leading up to this monster being out in society. But for today, our darling son, his dear friend Grace, and a wonderfully kind grandfather Ian have been stolen from us forever and let down by the very system that should be protecting them.
Sanjoy Kumar (Grace’s father)
We will never come to terms with the loss of our beloved daughter Grace and how she lost her life.
Her heroic actions mean she was a gift to us and she was the gift of the country. We’d like to thank our wonderful family from London and Ireland, and all of our friends for their continued love and support.
While we have never questioned this man’s diagnosis, the lack of toxicology, contemporaneous mental health assessment, as well as missed opportunities to divert his lethal path, will forever play on our minds and this requires further review.
We will look for answers regarding missed opportunities to intervene and prevent this horrendous crime.
Thank you.
James Coates (Ian’s son)
My heart from the very beginning has gone out to the families of Grace and Barnaby. It will continue to go out to them, as we all now share an anniversary every June that will never be celebrated. They are the definition of strength and unity.
My heart also goes out to Wayne Birkett, Marcin Gawronski and Sharon Miller, victims that have also been affected by this heinous crime.
The letter of the law was once considered the most important rule to live and abide by, put upon us to make the country a fairer and safer place.
Now it’s just a cautionary tale where a calculated, cold brutal killing spree can be reduced down to something that falls within the same sentence and restrictions and guidelines as that of death by dangerous driving.
If this man was not stopped when he was, this could have been one of the most catastrophic attacks this country had ever seen.
This man is a killer. Murder was the only thing he cared about. And he fulfilled this in horrific fashion on June 13 last year. My family has suffered a great loss.
The children who my father had a positive impression on have suffered a great loss. The city of Nottingham has suffered a great loss.
Failures by the police, the CPS and the health service have resulted in the murder of my father and these two innocent students.
The NHS mental health trusts have to be held accountable for their failures along with the police.
All we can do is hope that in due course some sort of justice will be served.
This man has made a mockery of the system and he has gotten away with murder.
