London: The families of a British Indian medical student who was stabbed to death with her friend, both 19, and a 65-year-old school caretaker in a frenzied knife attack in Nottingham welcomed the promise of a judge-led public inquiry into the killings after a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer here on Wednesday.
Grace O’Malley Kumar was returning to her university with her friend Barnaby Webber when they were attacked by Valdo Calocane, who then went on to strike Ian Coates in June 2023.
Grace’s father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, along with the other victims’ families, have been campaigning for an inquiry into the attack which they believe could have been avoided if the attacker’s mental health condition had been managed appropriately.
“As we have always said, as families, everywhere that Valdo Calocane intersected with the authorities we were let down,” Kumar told reporters after the meeting with Starmer.
“For the nation it’s a great day. We will make sure changes come from our inquiry for the betterment of our country. It makes the land safer for all of us,” he said. Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby, said the news was “a watershed moment”.
“It’s the first bit of positive news we’ve been able to have for a very, very long time,” she said. Calocane, in his 30s, pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to be detained in a high-security hospital in January last year.
It sparked a number of reviews into the leniency of the sentence as well as an investigation into the mental health care he received. Last August, a review by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates healthcare services in England, highlighted “a series of errors, omissions and misjudgements” by mental health services involving the attacker.
Tributes had poured in for Grace at the time, who was studying to become a doctor and played for the England under-18s hockey team and was also a talented cricketer. Her grief-stricken parents have since been calling for an inquiry to get answers and ensure lessons are learnt from the tragedy.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the victims’ families were told by Starmer that a “number of different agencies” would be scrutinised and a retired judge would be appointed to lead the public inquiry. Dr Sanjoy Kumar said the decision had “lifted off the pressure” from the grieving families.
