Healthcare Trust Investigation
Police Investigate Mental Health Trust Over Calocane's Care; Victim's Mother Welcomes Probe
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Northumbria Police has launched a criminal investigation into the care given to Valdo Calocane by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) before he carried out a triple murder in Nottingham in June 2023. Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic, stabbed university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three more people with a stolen van. North Norfolk News reported that the victims' families have welcomed the police probe as a long-overdue step toward justice.
Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby, said the investigation marks "the beginning of the reckoning." Her words reflect years of anguish over how Calocane was allowed to slip through the mental health system before he killed three people in broad daylight.
How the Mental Health System Failed Three Victims
Calocane was under the care of NHFT from 2020 until 2022. During that time, he was sectioned — legally detained for psychiatric treatment — on four separate occasions. Despite this alarming pattern, the trust discharged him to his GP after he repeatedly failed to attend appointments, according to News Shopper.
A public inquiry heard evidence about the serious gaps in his care. Calocane's repeated non-attendance should have triggered urgent follow-up. Instead, the system let him go. Critics say that decision proved fatal. Three people lost their lives less than a year after his discharge.
The Nottingham Attacks: What Happened That Day
On June 13, 2023, Calocane stabbed Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar in the early hours of the morning. He then killed Ian Coates and stole his van. He used the vehicle to deliberately drive into three pedestrians in Nottingham city centre, according to News and Star.
Calocane pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility. He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order rather than prison. That outcome outraged the victims' families, who felt justice had not been served. It intensified their push for a full criminal investigation into the trust.
Families Call Police Investigation a Turning Point
Emma Webber welcomed the Northumbria Police probe with cautious hope. She called it "the beginning of the reckoning" — signalling that families believe individuals at NHFT must be held personally accountable. Wimbledon Guardian reported that the investigation could examine whether decisions made by trust staff contributed directly to the killings.
Northumbria Police is leading the inquiry rather than Nottinghamshire Police, likely to avoid any conflict of interest. The scope of the criminal probe has not been fully confirmed publicly, but it centres on the care and treatment decisions made while Calocane was under NHFT's supervision between 2020 and 2022.
NHFT Under Scrutiny Amid Wider NHS Mental Health Concerns
The case has put a sharp spotlight on how NHS mental health trusts handle high-risk patients who disengage from care. Calocane's case is not unique. Across England, thousands of patients are discharged every year when they stop attending appointments. Campaigners argue that is precisely when the risk of harm is highest.
NHFT has not publicly commented on the criminal investigation. The trust previously faced scrutiny through the public inquiry process. If the police probe leads to charges, it would be one of the most significant criminal cases ever brought against an NHS mental health trust in England.
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