A public inquiry has heard that mental health professionals decided against detaining Valdo Calocane, the Nottingham triple killer, following a violent incident in 2020, after considering research addressing the over-representation of young black men in custody. Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, fatally stabbed 19-year-old students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and 65-year-old Ian Coates, and severely injured three others on 13 June 2023.
Background of the 2020 Incident
During the first day of the hearing, counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale KC detailed that Calocane was arrested on 24 May 2020 after repeatedly kicking and punching a door in his student accommodation. A neighbour had to restrain Calocane before police arrived. At the time, Calocane was a student at the University of Nottingham and underwent a mental health assessment where he described hearing voices.
The assessment concluded he was experiencing a first episode of psychosis, attributed to sleep deprivation and exam-related stresses. Langdale stated that a doctor involved was leaning towards sectioning Calocane due to this being his first presentation of psychosis and a lack of information on his risk history.
Decision Influenced by Race Research
However, a team of mental health professionals reviewed research evidence examining the over-representation of young black men in detention. It was then concluded that the crisis team could provide a safe and reasonable alternative, with Calocane admitted to hospital if the community treatment plan failed. Calocane agreed to be prescribed medication and receive home treatment, including twice-daily visits from the crisis team.
Shortly after his release from custody, Calocane repeatedly kicked another neighbour’s door, frightening her so much that she jumped out of a first-floor window, causing serious spinal damage. He was then arrested and sectioned for about three weeks, marking the first of four hospital admissions before the Nottingham attacks.
Systemic Failures and Repeated Incidents
A report by the Care Quality Commission into Calocane’s care at the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust between May 2020 and September 2022 found a series of errors, omissions, and misjudgments. Without action, these issues would continue to pose an inherent risk to patient and public safety.
Despite concerns from Calocane’s mother that it was too early for his release, he was first discharged from hospital on 17 June 2020. In under a month, he was sectioned again after forcing his way into a property and assaulting someone on 13 July. Another mental health assessment revealed he had stopped taking his medication two weeks after his initial discharge.
This incident is part of a pattern where Calocane repeatedly misled healthcare professionals about his mental health and medication usage. Langdale highlighted another event in May 2021, when Calocane visited MI5 claiming to have information about a case and requested arrest, just two days after his mother contacted the crisis team concerned he was not taking his medication.
Families' Response and Inquiry Goals
In a joint statement before the inquiry began, the families of Webber, O’Malley-Kumar, and Coates expressed that they had faced failure and silence for too long. They emphasized the inquiry is about holding those who neglected their jobs to account and exposing systemic neglect through a thorough examination of missed opportunities by mental health services, law enforcement, and judicial bodies.
The inquiry continues to assess the events, acts, and omissions that allowed Calocane to remain free to kill, aiming to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder.
