A corporate manslaughter investigation has been launched into Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), which treated triple killer Valdo Calocane. Emma Webber, mother of 19-year-old Barnaby Webber, one of Calocane’s victims, says the probe marks “the beginning of the reckoning” for public services and the NHS.
Barnaby, originally from Taunton and a University of Nottingham history student, was fatally stabbed alongside Grace O’Malley-Kumar, also 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in Nottingham in June 2023. Calocane, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, was under NHFT’s care from 2020 to 2022. During that time, he was sectioned four times but was discharged to his GP after missing appointments and effectively being “lost” to the trust’s Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) service.
On the night of the attacks, Calocane carried a rucksack filled with weapons. After stabbing his victims, he attempted to murder three more people by driving a van stolen from Mr. Coates into them, leaving several seriously injured. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and attempted murder and was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.
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Northumbria Police, acting on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police, confirmed the investigation into NHFT’s care of Calocane has begun. Emma Webber expressed hope the probe will lead to accountability at all levels, including NHS leadership and clinical staff who repeatedly failed to manage and recognize the risks posed by Calocane.
“This investigation demands full transparency and accountability — from top executives to those responsible for direct care,” Webber said. “Those who neglected their duties allowed a dangerous individual to slip through the system and commit these horrific acts.”
The public inquiry into the attacks, which concluded in June after hearing from 164 witnesses, is expected to publish its recommendations next year. NHFT has pledged full cooperation with both the police investigation and the statutory inquiry chaired by Her Honour Deborah Taylor.
This investigation represents a landmark moment, not only for Barnaby’s family but as a critical step toward safeguarding the public from future failures within mental health services.