Nottingham attacks: Victim's family calls for inquiry into killer's case

The family of one of three people killed in attacks in Nottingham have called for a public inquiry into the case.

Valdo Calocane was given a hospital order on Thursday for killing Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, as well as Ian Coates, 65, in June.

A special review has been ordered into the NHS trust that treated him.

But Mr Webber's parents said they were "horrified" and "disgusted" there were no immediate plans for an inquiry.

Mr Webber's mother Emma told BBC Breakfast the review would just be "a toe in the water" and "not enough".

She said: "It needs to be much more than reviewing the mental health failings and services in Nottingham.

"Also, the failings of the police to investigate and act accordingly up to the attacks and also the investigation of the case we've got real concerns about, and the way we've been managed by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] and of course, we're really unhappy with the outcome from last week."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refused to commit to ordering an inquiry last week, with calls backed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and one of Calocane's victims Wayne Birkett, who was hit by a van during the attacks.

"If they don't feel that warrants a public inquiry, what does? It's disgusting," Mr Webber's father David added.

Asked why the government had not set up a public inquiry, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "We haven't ruled out further action at this stage.

"The health secretary has ordered a review into the mental health services at the NHS trust where Calocane was treated, the attorney general is also looking at the sentence and will meet with the director of public prosecutions, I believe, to discuss that later today.

"The policing minister is meeting senior leaders at Nottinghamshire Police to discuss the circumstances."

The care of Calocane, 32, at Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust will be reviewed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC said the rapid review would be completed before the end of March.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: "The CQC is going to report back to me by the end of March on this to see if there are practical measures that should be taken to tighten up these services and to ensure the safety of families and residents across Nottinghamshire."

Mr and Mrs Webber said they were due to meet Mr Starmer later, as they pledged to fight to get "appropriate justice and appropriate answers".

Mrs Webber added: "We don't want to be the next Post Office families or Hillsborough families, but I say this to anybody in charge and decision-makers: you have got the full weight of the Webber family, the O'Malley-Kumar family and the Coates family all united behind this."

It comes as the attorney general is considering whether judges should review Calocane's sentence.

And NHS England has said it is planning to order a separate Independent Mental Health Homicide Review into Calocane's contact with mental health services, which is expected to take many months to complete.

Chris Dzikiti, director of mental health at the CQC, said: "We will conduct a rapid review into mental health services in Nottingham to understand whether there are any practical actions which can be taken to improve the quality of services and ensure people receive safe and effective care.

"We will begin this work immediately, aiming to report to the secretary of state before the end of March."

Ifti Majid, chief executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We welcome external inspections as they are important to helping us learn and continually improve our services, giving us independent insight to highlight areas for development so that the experience for those who use our services is improved.

"We look forward to working with the Care Quality Commission and NHS England, and we undertake to swiftly implement any recommendations.

"Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, and those who are affected by the tragic events in Nottingham in June 2023."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]