The recent sentencing of Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham and attempted to kill others, has caused outrage among the victims’ families. In addition to questioning the sentence handed down, they have raised concerns about interactions the killer had with health services and the police prior to the attacks, as well as how the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) handled the case.
Calocane’s plea of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility was submitted on 28 November and accepted by prosecutors on Tuesday. However, the decision to accept has surprised many who assumed he would face a murder trial. James Coates, the son of school caretaker Ian Coates, who was stabbed to death on his way to work, said Calocane had “made a mockery of the system” and “got away with murder.”
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said it had “robustly” reviewed its interactions with Calocane. Chief executive Ifti Majid said: “If a patient no longer engages with our services and support and they do not meet criteria to be detained under the Mental Health Act, they are discharged back to the care of their GP and can be referred back into our services at any time.” NHS England is planning a major investigation into the case.
Calls for a public inquiry have been backed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. He said, “I am very worried by what appear to be a number of points at which action could have been taken that would have prevented this happening.” On Thursday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declined to commit to an inquiry. Meanwhile, the attorney general is due to consider whether judges should review the sentence, after a referral arguing the sentence was too lenient
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