Key facts
- The death of Barnaby Webber, a victim of the Nottingham attacks, was deemed 'potentially preventable' by a panel of medical professionals.
- The inquiry heard that faster administration of blood products to Webber might have improved his chances of survival.
- The deaths of Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, also victims of Valdo Calocane, were assessed as 'not preventable'.
- Valdo Calocane, who had paranoid schizophrenia, pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter and three counts of attempted murder.
- Calocane is currently serving an indefinite hospital order.
- The inquiry has heard evidence of numerous individual and systemic failures by public services in dealing with Calocane.
An inquiry into the fatal Nottingham attacks has heard that the death of Barnaby Webber, one of three victims, was 'potentially preventable'. A panel of medical professionals assessed that a more rapid administration of blood products could have improved Webber's chances of surviving his injuries, though they characterized his survival as having less than a 50% chance even with such interventions. The deaths of the other two victims, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, were deemed not preventable.
Valdo Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder. He is currently serving an indefinite hospital order. The inquiry, which began hearing evidence in February, has questioned over 100 witnesses, including police, mental health practitioners, and the victims' families.
Counsel for the inquiry, Rachel Langdale KC, highlighted the efforts of the bereaved families and stated that the evidence revealed 'one failure after another' in the handling of Calocane's case by public services. Tim Moloney KC, representing the families, detailed a 'litany of unnoticed red flags, missed opportunities and individual and systemic failures' in the timeline of contact between Calocane and public agencies between May 2020 and June 2023. He argued that authorities were too quick to let incidents go and that clinicians were too quick to adopt a 'least restrictive practice' that ultimately failed Calocane and those he affected.
The inquiry chair, Deborah Taylor KC, expressed disappointment that evidence had emerged during a break that should have been identified and disclosed earlier, directing core participants to provide corrections by December 31.