'I'll take the sound of my dad being stabbed to death to my grave'

SON JAMES ON HEARING THE 'HAUNTING' RING DOORBELL AUDIO THAT RECORDED IAN COATES' FINAL MOMENTS

- By NICOLA HAYNES

SCHOOL caretaker Ian Coates was on his way to work when he was killed in the horrific Nottingham attacks in June 2023.

And a month before the second anniversary of one of the darkest days in the city's history, his son James says hearing a Ring doorbell recording of the attack on his father is something he will take to the grave.

James, aged 39, listened to the moment that paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane killed his father, as the 65-year-old caretaker drove to Huntingdon Academy in St Ann's on June 13 two years ago. Alongside Ian, Calocane fatally stabbed the 19-year-old University of Nottingham students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, who were walking home from an end-of-term night out when they were attacked in Ilkeston Road, on the Radford and Lenton border.

Calocane would go on to stab Ian to death in Magdala Road, Mapperley Park, and steal his van. He then deliberately drove it into Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski in the city centre, leaving them seriously injured.

The attacks led to an outpouring of grief and calls for major reforms of mental health services and court sentencing guidelines. Next month marks the second anniversary of the horrendous day, but the victims' families are still battling for justice.

Speaking to the Mirror from the City Ground, the home of Ian's beloved Nottingham Forest, James explained that fighting for his dad has become his sole purpose in life. The grieving son has been attending therapy sessions to help him process the trauma of his father's death.

He recently met with police to listen to an audio recording of his dad's final moments. He said: "It didn't catch [the killing] on camera but it captured the audio of it. It's probably the worst sound I've ever heard in my life.

"I'll take that sound to my grave. I never want any of my family members to have to hear that. It's haunting. It was the sound of my dad being stabbed to death.