Families claim police hid stalker's violent and mental-health background after Nottingham stabbings
Relatives of three victims say Nottinghamshire Police failed to reveal that a man with a violent past and mental-health issues had tried to contact them.
In June 2023, Valdo Calocane, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, fatally stabbed Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates and attempted to kill three others. Their families claim Nottinghamshire Police withheld details about a man who had shown interest in them and possessed a record of violence and mental-health issues. Dr Sanjoy Kumar says he learned in 2025 that the individual had visited his London GP surgery, yet police gave no risk assessment or description.
Dr Sinead O'Malley-Kumar added that police were aware of the man's behavior as early as December 2024 but did not inform the victims’ relatives until a year later. Nottinghamshire Police referred the complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which acknowledged the referral and noted the force was told about the witness in January 2025 but judged the information not relevant to its inquiries. The IOPC recognised families should have been updated about the contact. A public statutory inquiry into the attacks, which highlighted failures by police and mental-health services, is set to resume in September.
Why it matters
It raises questions about police transparency and safeguarding of victims' families after a deadly attack.
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