Inquiry Probes Mental Health Failures in Triple Killing

A public inquiry commenced today to investigate the mental health services provided to Valdo Calocane, the perpetrator of a triple stabbing in Nottingham in June 2023. Calocane fatally stabbed Grace O'Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65.

Reports emerged that mental health professionals opted not to detain Calocane in 2020. This decision reportedly considered the "over-representation" of young black men in mental health detentions. Despite Calocane attempting to force his way into a woman's home, leading her to jump from a window and sustain spinal injuries, he was released into the community.

Calocane's mother had urged professionals to hospitalize her son due to his risk to others. The inquiry will examine his interactions with prosecutors, police, and medical professionals. It aims to address concerns about his fitness for interview, detention procedures, and the handling of his case by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The inquiry, chaired by retired judge Deborah Taylor, is expected to hear from over 100 witnesses and will produce a report with recommendations by May 2027. Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder, a sentence criticized by the victims' families.

The families of the deceased seek to expose systemic neglect by mental health services, law enforcement, and judicial bodies. They also aim to challenge what they perceive as a miscarriage of justice regarding the hospital order, fearing a potentially early release for Calocane.