Key facts
- The NHS trust that treated Valdo Calocane is being investigated for corporate manslaughter.
- Calocane fatally stabbed three people in Nottingham on June 13, 2023.
- Calocane had a history of violence and was sectioned multiple times between 2020 and 2022.
- A doctor warned that Calocane posed a risk of killing someone.
- Calocane was discharged from mental health services in September 2022.
- Northumbria police are conducting a criminal inquiry into the NHS trust.
The NHS trust responsible for the care of Valdo Calocane, the individual who carried out the fatal attacks in Nottingham in June 2023, is now facing a corporate manslaughter investigation. Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after stabbing students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley Kumar, and caretaker Ian Coates.
A public inquiry into the events leading up to the attacks revealed that the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation trust had sectioned Calocane four times between 2020 and 2022. Evidence presented to the inquiry highlighted a series of violent incidents perpetrated by Calocane and his consistent refusal to take prescribed medication. During one hospital admission, a doctor reportedly warned that Calocane posed a risk of killing someone.
Despite these warnings and a history of violence, Calocane was discharged from mental health services in September 2022 due to missed appointments and an inability for healthcare workers to locate him. Northumbria police are now conducting a criminal inquiry into the trust on behalf of Nottinghamshire police. Such an investigation could lead to significant fines and leadership changes within the trust.
Corporate manslaughter charges are applicable to public bodies like NHS trusts when serious failings result in death. The public inquiry, expected to release its findings next year, also heard that a warrant had been issued for Calocane's arrest at the time of the attacks for an alleged assault on a police officer. Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire police forces have since apologized for not acting on this warrant.
The Nottingham trust has been under considerable scrutiny since the attacks, with a 2026 Care Quality Commission report indicating a need for substantial improvements. A spokesperson for the trust confirmed cooperation with the police investigation and the ongoing statutory inquiry, acknowledging the importance of these processes for the victims' families and the community.