Home / Crime and Justice / Victims' Families Denied Closure: Inquiry Hears Chilling Testimony
Victims' Families Denied Closure: Inquiry Hears Chilling Testimony
28 May
Summary
- Campaigner highlights systemic neglect of victims' families in mental health homicides.
- Inquiry examines killings by Valdo Calocane, who had paranoid schizophrenia.
- Perpetrators often receive more consideration than victims, a campaigner stated.
A campaigner has told a public inquiry that victims' families receive "no closure" following mental health-related homicides. Julian Hendy, whose father was fatally stabbed by a mentally ill man in 2007, has been supporting families affected by the Nottingham attacks. He testified that perpetrators of such crimes are frequently given more consideration than their victims.
The inquiry is examining the killings perpetrated by Valdo Calocane, who had paranoid schizophrenia. Calocane was discharged from mental health services months before he fatally stabbed three people and injured others. Hendy highlighted "repeated problems" in managing offenders' risk, monitoring medication, and listening to families, issues that have surfaced throughout the inquiry.
Hendy shared his own experience, describing a "wall of silence" after his father's death and being denied information about the attacker due to consent issues. He asserted a "clear hierarchy" where patients and staff are prioritized over victims' families. The inquiry is reviewing over 500 mental health homicide cases since 1994.
