Nottingham stabbings: Barnaby Webber's parents honour their 'lovely soul'

The parents of student Barnaby Webber who was stabbed to death in Nottingham on Tuesday have described him as "a lovely soul" during a vigil near his Somerset home.

Mr Webber, 19, died in attacks in which fellow student Grace O'Malley-Kumar, also 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, were killed.

Sunday's vigil was held at Bishops Hull Cricket Club, Mr Webber's "true home".

Support from "his tribe" there was a source of strength, his parents said.

"It's overwhelming the outpouring of love and support," Mr Webber's mother Emma Webber explained. "This is his true home, his people.

"Today we wanted to come and see what this wonderful club has done for him. It's been healing."

The teenager, from Taunton - a first-year history student at University of Nottingham - was a keen cricketer.

The vigil was held as prayers were said at faith services across Nottingham for the victims.

On Friday, the England and Australia men's cricket team paid tribute to the victims ahead of the first Ashes test.

Describing last week's tributes in the city where her son died as "wonderful", Mrs Webber said on Sunday it was "hugely important" to remember all three of the victims.

"We are in touch with Grace's family a lot and I hope we'll be able to with Ian's family as well because we are intrinsically linked now," she explained.

Mrs Webber's husband David Webber said everything that everyone had been doing to show support across the UK had been "amazing".

"It gives us strength and I'm sure it gives Grace and Ian's family strength," he said.

"We always knew [Barnaby] was special, we always knew he was a beautiful human being and a lovely soul.

"People were coming up to me and saying 'I don't know you Mr Webber, but your son was lovely, so much fun, he really helped me'.

"I found he was like a glue to all these different groups of friends," he added.

The family said the Somerset vigil was a "reflection and celebration of a wonderful young man so cruelly taken away at the very prime of his life".

Mrs Webber said her son's body was "coming home" on Monday.

"That will be the next really big step for us, to know he's here," she said.

"We're still a family of four, it's just that one of us is not here right now."

Valdo Calocane, 31, of no fixed address, has been charged with three counts of murder over the killings.

He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Saturday and spoke only to confirm his name, giving an alias of Adam Mendes.

He was remanded in custody and is due to face a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on 20 June.

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