‘Justice not served’ say families of Nottingham City Centre victims as killer sentenced
Valdo Calocane has been sentenced for the killings of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates in Nottingham last June.
Calocane will be held in a high-security hospital indefinitely with the judge stating that it is likely to be for the rest of his life. Although Calocane admitted three counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility in November, having initially denied murder, he also pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder for driving a vehicle at three other individuals.
According to Justice Turner, Calocane’s actions were significantly influenced by mental illness, though he emphasised that this does not diminish the “horror” of the crimes.
The family of Barnaby Webber expressed their disappointment with the sentencing, saying that “true justice has not been served today” and insisting that Calocane “knew exactly what he was doing.”
James Coates, the son of Ian Coates, criticised the outcome, stating that Calocane “made a mockery of the system” and essentially “got away with murder.”
The Webber family have also raised concerns about the police response, revealing an outstanding arrest warrant for Calocane related to an alleged attack on a police officer in September 2022.
Nottinghamshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin acknowledged yesterday that “we should have done more to arrest him.”