Nottingham killer not detained due to his race, inquiry hears

Mental health professionals decided not to detain Valdo Calocane despite a violent incident after research addressed over-representation of young black men in detention

- Neha Gohil

Mental health professionals decided not to detain the Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane despite a violent incident in 2020, after they considered research that addressed the over-representation of young black men in custody, a public inquiry has been told.

Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, fatally stabbed 19-year-old students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and 65-year-old Ian Coates, and severely injured three others on 13 June 2023.

He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder.

A public inquiry began on Monday to assess the “events, acts and omissions” that left Calocane free to kill and what could be done to prevent something similar happening again.