Families of the Nottingham attacks victims have aimed severe criticism at police and health services for “missed opportunities” to prevent the killings.
Speaking after Valdo Calocane was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court, relatives of all three victims said they believed the attacks could have been prevented.
Families said they had only recently learned an arrest warrant was still outstanding for Calocane when he carried out the fatal stabbings, and said there were further questions about his previous contact with authorities.
They were speaking outside court on Thursday (January 25) after Calocane had been sentenced to an indefinite secure hospital order.
Calocane fatally stabbed Students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in random attacks on the morning of June 13.
The 32-year-old had been charged with murder but at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (January 23) prosecutors accepted his manslaughter plea on the grounds of diminished responsibility after studying evidence of his history of severe mental illness.
This had included paranoid schizophrenia, meaning he was suffering from delusions including voices at the time of the attacks.
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to murder three pedestrians who he tried to run over with by a van on the same morning as part of the attacks. One of them suffered life-changing injuries.
Notts Police said earlier this week an arrest warrant had been issued 20 months before the attacks following an assault on a police officer, but they had still not caught up with Calocane when he launched the brutal assault.
Notts Police has already referred itself to watchdog the Independe nt Office for Police Conduct in relation to parts of the case, and a senior officer said the force should have done more to arrest Calocane.
The NHS has previously announced a review will be held into Calocane’s treatment and contact with services prior to the killings.
Addressing Notts Police Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin, who led the response to the attacks, Emma Webber, Barnaby’s mother said: “You have blood on your hands – if you had just done your jobs properly, there’s a very good chance my beautiful boy would still be alive today.”
James Coates, Ian’s son, also said the police, Crown Prosecution Service and NHS had further questions to answer.
Sanjoy Kumar, Grace’s father, said families felt let down by the decision not to put Calocane on trial for murder.
In a statement following the hearing, Asst Chief Con Griffin said: “The devastating impact that the events of 13 June have had and continue to have for the families of those killed and those that survived these dreadful attacks are immeasurable.
“I have personally reviewed this matter and we should have done more to arrest him. In my opinion it is highly unlikely that he would have received a custodial sentence for the alleged assault.
“Of course, an arrest may have triggered a route back into mental health services, but as we have seen from his previous encounters with those services, it seems unlikely that he would have engaged in this process.”
Passing sentence earlier, Judge Mr Justice Turner said the crimes were “frenzied and relentless” and added Calocane was still suffering from psychosis.
He made a hospital order on all six charges, meaning Calcocane will be detained indefinitely at Ashworth High Security Hospital, Liverpool, saying it was unlikely he would ever be deemed safe enough for release.
“If you had just done your jobs properly, there’s a very good chance my beautiful boy would still be alive today.” – Barnaby Webber’s mother Emma on Notts Police involvement with Valdo Calocane after he was sentenced for the #Nottingham attacks.
Notts Police Asst Chief Con Rob… pic.twitter.com/W8CXwuClEa
— Notts TV (@Notts_TV) January 25, 2024
Janine McKinney, Chief Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in the East Midlands, said: “The pleas to manslaughter were only accepted after very careful analysis of the evidence. We reached this conclusion because the expert medical evidence was overwhelming; namely that Calocane was acting under the influence of a serious mental health condition.
“During this lengthy and complex sentencing exercise, we have made it clear that Calocane was criminally responsible for what he did, regardless of the impact of his mental health on his culpability.”
Ifti Majid, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare, which runs mental health services in the county, said: “As well as supporting Nottinghamshire Police with their investigations, in the event of a serious incident relating to a former patient, we robustly review our own interactions with that person to identify any learning.
“In this case, the patient was under our care between May 2020 and September 2022 with episodes of care both as an inpatient and in the community as an outpatient.
“It is important to remember that this person has been convicted of a crime of the most serious kind and there are many people who live with severe mental health issues who do not offend and are supported to live well in their community.
“We always aim to care for people in the least restrictive way and to support people to live well in their own homes and society. If a patient no longer engages with our services and support and they do not meet criteria to be detained under the Mental Health Act, they are discharged back to the care of their GP and can be referred back into our services at any time.”
