Nottingham killer was not sectioned because of his race, inquiry told

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 allowed Calocane free to kill and what can be done to prevent something similar happening again.

During the first day of the hearing, counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale KC, said Calocane was arrested on 24 May 2020 after “repeatedly kicking and punching” a door in his student accommodation. A neighbour had to “restrain” Calocane before officers arrived, Langdale said.

Calocane, who was a student at University of Nottingham at the time, later had a mental health assessment where he described hearing voices. The assessment concluded Calocane was dealing with a first episode of psychosis, which was attributed to sleep deprivation and exam-related stresses.

Langdale said a doctor involved in the assessment had been “leaning towards” sectioning Calocane due to it being his “first presentation of psychosis” and a lack of information of his risk history. However, a team of mental health professionals considered research evidence that examined the over-representation of young black men in detention.

It was then concluded that the crisis team could provide a “safe and reasonable alternative” and Calocane could be admitted to hospital if the community treatment plan failed. Calocane agreed to being prescribed medication and home treatment, including twice daily visits from the crisis team, Langdale said.

Shortly after Calocane was released from custody, he repeatedly kicked another neighbour’s door which left her so frightened that she jumped out of a first-floor window, causing serious damage to her spine, Langdale said. Calocane was then arrested and sectioned for about three weeks, the first of four admissions to hospital before the attacks in Nottingham.

A report by the Care Quality Commission into Calocane’s care at the Nottinghamshire healthcare NHS foundation trust between May 2020 and September 2022 found there had been a “series of errors, omissions and misjudgments” and, without action, the issues would “continue to pose an inherent risk to patient and public safety”.

Langdale said, despite concerns expressed by Calocane’s mother that it was too early for her son to be released, he was first discharged from hospital in 17 June 2020. In just under a month, Calocane was sectioned again after he forced his way into a property and assaulted someone on 13 July.

It was discovered during another mental health assessment that Calocane had stopped taking his medication two weeks after he was first discharged from hospital, the inquiry heard.

This is one of several incidents where Calocane repeatedly misled healthcare professionals regarding his mental health and medication usage, the inquiry heard. Langdale detailed another incident the following year, when Calocane visited MI5 on 31 May 2021 claiming he had information about a case and requested to be arrested. Two days before Calocane’s mother had contacted the crisis team concerned he was not taking his medication.

In a joint statement before the beginning of the inquiry, the families of Webber, O’Malley-Kumar and Coates said they had been met with “failure and silence” for too long and the inquiry was “about holding those who neglected their jobs to account”.

“We want it to expose systemic neglect with a thorough examination of the missed opportunities by mental health services, law enforcement, and judicial bodies,” the statement added.

The inquiry continues.