The family of Barnaby Webber, a University of Nottingham student killed during the tragic Nottingham attacks in June 2023, have criticised the police for what they describe as a “lack of basic compassion”. They claim they were not warned when a mentally ill individual, reportedly fixated on the case, attempted to contact them.
The man, who is understood to have a history of troubling behaviour and ties to the Government’s Prevent anti-extremism programme, is believed to have travelled to Somerset, seeking to reach out to Barnaby’s family.
Barnaby, alongside fellow 19-year-old student Grace O’Malley-Kumar and school caretaker Ian Coates, lost their lives after being stabbed by Valdo Calocane, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The attacks also involved three other victims being hurt by a stolen van.
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Barnaby’s mother, Emma Webber, issued a statement on Wednesday expressing their dismay at being “left completely in the dark” regarding the actions of the unnamed man. She emphasised that the family was not given any warning, safeguarding advice, or opportunity to take protective measures for themselves, their workplaces, or their son’s school.
According to reports in The Times, the man also visited the GP surgery of Grace’s father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar. Despite this, police allegedly failed to inform the bereaved families about the stalking, downplaying the risk by stating he was attempting to “offer his help”.
Mrs Webber condemned the authorities, stating: “This is yet another devastating example of incompetence and institutional failure by Nottinghamshire Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).”
She described the recent revelations as “utterly chilling,” highlighting that the man had similar warning signs to Calocane and was able to travel across the country to seek out the families. The lack of timely communication, she added, has left the family and others living in fear.
Mrs Webber questioned why legal and safeguarding obligations to warn individuals of potential risks were not applied in their case, labelling the situation “a failure of basic safeguarding, basic compassion and basic common sense.”
Dr Sanjoy Kumar expressed horror upon learning that the individual, who was a patient at a mental health institution and known for violence, had actively sought the family without any official police warning.
The IOPC has confirmed receiving a complaint from Nottinghamshire Police concerning information allegedly withheld about a potential witness who had attempted to contact the victims' families. The IOPC is currently assessing the referral to determine the next steps.
In a statement, the IOPC acknowledged that families should have been kept updated about interactions with the witness and noted that they recently communicated this to them.
Nottinghamshire Police have stated they referred the complaint to the IOPC on 24 August and are awaiting their response. Due to the ongoing investigation, they are unable to provide further comments but confirm they have kept the complainants updated throughout the process.
The families of those affected continue to seek transparency, protection, and honest communication as the public inquiry into the Nottingham attacks progresses.