Valdo Calocane appeared in court on Tuesday to plead not guilty to murder but admitted to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility, following the fatal stabbing of three people in Nottingham on 13 June. Among those he killed were University of Nottingham students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, and 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates. Court proceedings saw the families of the three victims vocally condemning Calocane’s actions.
According to reports, Calocane approached O’Malley-Kumar and Webber in Ilkeston Road, Nottingham in the early hours of the morning following their night out. He proceeded to attack the students, stabbing Mr Webber and then turning on O’Malley-Kumar when she tried to protect her friend. After that, Calocane went on to stab Ian Coates in a separate attack in Magdala Road and later drove a van at three pedestrians.
Calocane’s defence lawyers had argued that he had a long history of mental health problems and acted out of diminished responsibility. Despite his plea being accepted, the families of the victims expressed their disdain for the defendant in court. The father of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Dr. Sanjay Kumar, condemned Calocane for his “cowardly and unforgivable act” and called for his acts of “cowardice to be highlighted to the world”.
Meanwhile, Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber, condemned Calocane as a “monstrous individual” who had stolen her son’s life “in the most vicious, unprovoked and evil way imaginable.” The impact of Calocane’s actions have been heartbreaking and crippling for the families of the victims, who said they will never come to terms with the loss of their loved ones
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