Review ordered into decision to accept Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane's manslaughter pleas
The attorney general has ordered an independent review of the Crown Prosecution Service’s handling of the Nottingham stabbing case and whether it sufficiently consulted with the families of the victims.
Attorney General Victoria Prentis said she ordered an inspection into the CPS handling of the case “so we can properly investigate the concerns raised by the families”.
The review announced on Tuesday will include examining the CPS decision to accept triple killer Calocane’s guilty pleas to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and whether the CPS met its duties to consult with families ahead of accepting pleas.
It comes as Rishi Sunak promised victims’ families that “we will get the answers”.
Calocane, 32, stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, with a dagger in Nottingham in the early hours of 13 June last year.
Last week, Calocane was given a hospital order for manslaughter by diminished responsibility after the city’s crown court heard he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Mr Webber’s family described the hospital order as a “huge insult” and called for a public inquiry into the case.
Speaking after the sentencing hearing last week, Mr Webber’s mother Emma Webber said the bereaved families were “presented with a fait accompli that the decision had been made to accept manslaughter charges” when they met the CPS in November.
“At no point during the previous five-and-a-half-months were we given any indication that this could conclude in anything other than murder.”
Announcing the independent review, Ms Prentis said: “The senseless deaths of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates have horrified the country.
“While nothing will bring their loved ones back, the families understandably want to understand what happened in this case.
“That’s why I have asked the inspectorate to carry out a prompt and thorough review of CPS actions so we can properly investigate the concerns raised by the families in this devastating case.”
The findings of the review are expected by Easter, with the Attorney General’s Office to work with the CPS to ensure any recommendations are swiftly implemented.
A CPS spokesperson said: “We will fully engage with the review.”
A recording of the first 999 call to police on the night of the Nottingham attacks on 13 June 2023
Moments after Valdo Calocane struck, a caller tells police: "Oh no, there's been a stabbing on Ilkeston Road and somebody lying in the street, I think they're dead.
"Oh, that was awful."
The 999 operator then asks: "Whereabouts on Ilkeston Road please?"
The caller continued: "Outside the old billabong building, er, near the crossroad."
Watch ITV News Central Correspondent Rajiv Popat's timeline of the killer's contact with the emergency services
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