Full public inquiry announced into Nottingham attacks
Families of the victims speak outside 10 Downing Street after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told them a full public inquiry will be held.
A full public inquiry into the Nottingham attacks has been announced – and will start “within weeks”.
Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, died after being stabbed by Valdo Calocane in the city centre early on the morning of June 13 2023.
Calocane, who had paranoid schizophrenia, also injured three other people after driving into them after stealing Mr Coates’ van.
Relatives of the three people killed and survivor Wayne Birkett met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday (February 12) to discuss their calls for a judge-led public inquiry into mistakes made in Calocane’s NHS care and interaction with police and other authorities before the deaths.
Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby, said shortly after the meeting had finished Sir Keir told the families an inquiry will start in “a matter of weeks”, adding he had apologised on behalf of the authorities.
Mrs Webber said the Prime Minister confirmed it would led by a judge and will be statutory – meaning witnesses will be compelled by law to give evidence.
Sanjoy Kumar, father of Grace, said the families were “absolutely delighted” and the inquiry would help make healthcare safer in future after reports showed there had been multiple failings in Calocane’s care before June 13 2023.
Last week an independent report into Calocane’s NHS contact before the killings found he was not forced to take his anti-psychotic medication in part because he did not like needles, and said his risk “was not fully understood, managed, documented or communicated”.
It led to the relatives of those who died repeating their calls for a public inquiry.
Calocane was given a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia in July 2020 and, between May 2020 and February 2022, he had six mental health assessments, which led to four hospital detentions. A warrant for his arrest was still active at the time of the deaths, and Nottinghamshire Police have said officers “should have done more” to try to arrest him.
NHS England and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have both apologised for mistakes in Calocane’s care.
Following the attacks Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite secure hospital order in January 2024.
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