Nottingham attacks: Grieving families to meet with attorney general over killer's sentence

The victims' families will meet with Attorney General Victoria Prentis

The grieving families of the three victims of the Nottingham attacks will meet with the attorney general on Tuesday to discuss the way the case was handled.

Students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, were killed by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane in the early hours of 13 June last year.

He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order last month after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided to accept his guilty pleas to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.

The families allege there were “flaws” in the handling of the murder investigation and “missed opportunities” by Nottinghamshire Police to prevent the deaths.

Barnaby's mother Emma Webber said they have "grave" concerns over how the case was handled and that those in charge "must be personally held accountable".

They are due to hold a private meeting with the Attorney General Victoria Prentis on Tuesday.

Valdo Calocane was given an indefinite hospital order for the killings, on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Credit: Nottinghamshire Police

They are expected to discuss the families' calls for a public inquiry, the sentencing of the killer and his conviction for manslaughter.

The meeting follows revelations that information on the case was shared by an officer in a message that was described as being "crude and distasteful".

The Nottinghamshire Police officer shared "graphic details" about the killings in a WhatsApp message to another police officer.

Last month, Pc Matthew Gell, was found guilty of gross misconduct after he accessed records of Calocane despite not being involved in the investigation.

Relatives of victims, including Emma Webber, outside Nottingham Crown Court Credit: Jacob King/PA

Mrs Webber told ITV News it's "another car crash for Nottinghamshire Police".

She said in a statement: "How would you feel if that was your child or parent?

"Where is your respect or common decency? This was not an opportunity to share salacious news."

"These murders were brutal, terrifying for the victims and catastrophic for the families left behind.

"We were not, at any point, told about this. The very first we heard was via the media. It's another car crash for Nottinghamshire Police force isn't it."

Nottinghamshire Police Deputy Chief Constable Steve Cooper, told ITV News: "Some of the words were crude and distasteful. After a thorough review by the Professional Standards Directorate, one other officer was subject to management intervention.

"No other officers were found to have committed misconduct. All officers have been reminded of the appropriate use of WhatsApp as a result of this misconduct hearing."

Both Nottinghamshire Police and Leicestershire Police are being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over their contact with Calocane.

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