Families of Nottingham attack victims set to meet CPS

Relatives will also speak with the Care Quality Commission

Grace O'Malley Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates
Author: Lynsey BagnallPublished 9th Feb 2024

Ahead of a meeting, the mother of Barnaby Webber has said the families felt "wholly ignored" by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Emma Webber said triple-killer Valdo Calocane's guilty pleas to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility felt "railroaded".

The 32 year old stabbed students Barnaby Webber, 19, Grace O'Malley-Kumar, 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in Nottingham in the early hours of June 13th last year.

Valdo Calocane

Last month, Calocane who has schizophrenia was handed a hospital order on the grounds of diminished responsibility. It means he didn't face a murder trial. During the hearing concerns were raised about the police and CPS's handling of the case as well as the killer's contact with local mental health services.

The Attorney General has already ordered an independent review of the CPS.

The inspection, announced by Victoria Prentis, will look into the CPS's decision to accept Calocane's guilty pleas to manslaughter and whether it sufficiently consulted with the victims' families.

Grace O'Malley-Kumar's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said having to continue to campaign for murder charges had made the "grief worse" and "saps energy".

Last week, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had begun an investigation into the contact Leicestershire Police had with Calocane.

In a statement, the watchdog said it had launched an independent investigation after requesting further information from Leicestershire Police, following a referral from the force relating to inquiries into assaults Calocane is alleged to have committed in May last year.

Rayo PremiumRayo Premium

100% Christmas Through the Night

Magic Radio