Key facts
- Families of Nottingham attacks victims were stalked by a mentally ill man.
- Police are accused of failing to inform the victims' families about the stalking.
- The man had a fixation on the Nottingham attacks and a history of concerning behavior.
- Barnaby Webber's mother stated the family was unaware and unprotected.
- The IOPC is investigating a complaint about withheld information from Nottinghamshire Police.
Families of the victims of the Nottingham attacks have revealed they were stalked by a mentally ill man, but authorities are accused of failing to warn them. The man, described as being 'fixated' on the case and having a history of concerning behavior, reportedly traveled to Somerset to try and contact the family of Barnaby Webber, one of the three people killed by Valdo Calocane in June 2023.
Barnaby's mother, Emma Webber, stated that her family was "left completely in the dark" about the man's actions and had no opportunity to protect themselves. She further alleged that the man also attended the GP surgery of Grace O’Malley-Kumar’s father. Webber criticized Nottinghamshire Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), claiming they appeared more focused on managing processes than protecting people.
The IOPC confirmed it received a referral from Nottinghamshire Police concerning allegations of withheld information from the victims' families about a potential witness who had tried to contact them. The IOPC is currently assessing this referral to determine the necessary course of action.
Separately, a public inquiry into the Nottingham attacks has revealed what victims' families describe as a "catastrophic collapse of responsibility" and an "undoubted miscarriage of justice." The inquiry, which heard from 164 witnesses, examined failings by authorities, including the NHS and police, in the years leading up to the attacks and in their aftermath. Valdo Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder.