Change of clothing shows killings were pre-planned, says victim Grace’s father

THE father of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, who was killed by Valdo Calocane in the Nottingham attacks, has slammed a leading psychiatrist for “ignoring key pieces of evidence’.

- By MARTIN NAYLOR

Dr Sanjoy Kumar says Professor Nigel Blackwood also “offended” him and the families of the victims when he referred to the savage attack on his daughter and Barnaby Webber as “assault”.

Dr Kumar said that, in his opinion, Calocane deliberately changed his clothes before stabbing three people to death as though if was “getting ready for battle”.

But Professor Blackwood said that his assessment of the killer, having read material on him as well as interviewing him for five hours, was not “prejudged”.

University of Nottingham students Grace and Barnaby, and school caretaker Ian Coates, were all stabbed to death by Calocane in the early hours of June 13, 2023.

The killer then took Mr Coates’ van from Magdala Road and deliberately drove it into Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski in the city centre as they went to work.

Speaking to the Post after Professor Blackwood’s evidence, Dr Kumar said: “Someone who is making a decision on what is the most important matter in our lives has not asked for key pieces of evidence in order for him to make his assessment and reach his conclusions.

“Did he ask to see previous medical notes? No.

“He said VC told him that voices in his head told him he had to assault a coworker [in a previous, earlier, incident]. Did he explore that? No. A key thing we agree on and this is something we have never argued about is VC's diagnosis.