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Full judge-led public inquiry confirmed into Nottingham attacks

A full public inquiry will be held into the circumstances of the Nottingham attacks, the Government has confirmed.

Officially announcing the move in Parliament on Tuesday (April 22), Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the inquiry would be led by a judge and have the power to compel people to give evidence.

The relatives of those who died said the “watershed” moment meant they were now “confident that transparency and accountability can now be achieved”.

In June 2023 paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane killed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, with a knife as they walked home from a night out in Nottingham city centre. He went on to fatally stab 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates on the same night.

He then stole and used Mr Coates’ van to inflict serious injuries to three pedestrians – Wayne Birkett, Marcin Gawronski and Sharon Miller.

Relatives of those who died have since campaigned for a full statutory inquiry into the build-up to the attacks, saying the authorities had failed to prevent the killings through inadequate care and checks on Calocane.

A statutory inquiry is one which has legal power to call upon witnesses to provide information and evidence on an event.

Her Honour Deborah Taylor has been announced as the judge who will chair the probe.

Making the announcement in Parliament on Tuesday, Ms Mahmood said: “This inquiry must be thorough in its assessment of the facts and unsparing in its recommendations. That is the very least that we owe to those who have lost so much and fought so hard for this moment.”

Relatives of those who died were present in the public gallery to see the announcement made in parliament. A date has not been announced, but is expected to be confirmed soon. The Government has previously suggested the inquiry will be held in London.

In a joint statement, the families of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates said: “This statutory inquiry must dig deep and leave nothing unturned in seeking out the truth. Recognising the failings, holding those to account who failed, and also setting a direction through change in laws and practices to ensure public safety.

Calocane was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in July 2020 and, between May 2020 and February 2022, he had six mental health assessments leading to four hospital detentions.

Following the attacks in June 2023, he was sentenced to an indefinite secure hospital order in January 2024.

An independent 302-page report reviewing Calocane’s NHS care and treatment by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and other services was published on February 5 by NHS England.

It found damning evidence of failings into Caloncane’s care such as him easily avoiding vital mental health medication and care decisions not being shared between responsible parties.

NHS England and Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust have both previously apologised, and Notts Police said they could have done more to arrest Calocane on a warrant which was still outstanding at the time of the killings, due to his failure to appear at court in connection with a previous assault on a police officer.