Nottingham attacks survivor joins meeting with Sir Keir Starmer after Downing Street U-turn
Wayne Birkett was among three people injured by Valdo Calocane.
By Chris Breese and Tommy Bonnet
One of the survivors of the Nottingham attacks will join a meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday following claims they had been left out of Government talks on the tragedy.
Wayne Birkett will also speak to Sir Keir Starmer alongside the families of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, who were all killed by paranoid schizophrenic Calocane on June 13 2023.
Mr Birkett was among three people who were injured on the same morning after Calocane stole Mr Coates’ van and drove at pedestrians in the city centre.
The Newark man suffered multiple serious injuries, including two fractures to the skull, two to the pelvis and a fractured rib. Nottingham woman Sharon Miller was also seriously injured, while Marcin Gawronski escaped with lesser injuries.
Greg Almond, the solicitor representing Mr Birkett and Ms Miller said on Tuesday (February 11) the survivors had had “little support” and had not been invited to Wednesday’s discussion by the Government, although it was “quite right” that the relatives of those who died would speak to the Prime Minister.
On Wednesday morning (February 12) Mr Almond confirmed he and Mr Birkett had now been invited to this afternoon’s discussion in an apparent Downing Street U-turn. The Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood are expected to confirm a public inquiry will be held into the attacks and Calocane’s care, and discuss its terms of reference.
“We’ve faced significant challenges while lobbying to ensure Wayne’s voice, and that of the other injured survivors, is heard at the highest level,” Mr Almond said.
“Wayne and I are determined to get to the bottom of what events led to the tragic events of 13 June 2023, and how things went so very wrong. The truth matters – not just for him, but for everyone affected, including the bereaved families and the wider people of Nottingham.
“Wayne deserves clear answers and a Statutory Inquiry is the only way to achieve this. It must happen without further delay.”
Last week an independent report into Calocane’s NHS care 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 calls for a public inquiry, adding any hearing should also have legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence.
NHS England and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have both apologised.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister told Notts TV any inquiry will be judge-led and Sir Keir will meet relatives to “listen and ensure that they get the answers they need on what went wrong in this terrible case”.
Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite secure hospital order in January 2024.
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