Nottingham attack victims set to receive posthumous degrees

Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, victims of the Nottingham attacks in June 2023, will receive posthumous degrees this summer from the University of Nottingham.

Grace is also due to receive a full posthumous degree in 2027, the year she would have graduated. And, while the gesture aims to provide closure for the families of Barnaby and Grace, it’s a poignant reminder of what should have been.

Barnaby, a history student, and Grace, who was pursuing a Bachelor’s in medical science, were victims of senseless violence, shortly after completing their first year at university. The students were killed along with school caretaker, Ian Coates, at the hands of Valdo Calocane in the 2023 attack.

A bittersweet honour

For many students and their families, graduation is a celebration of success and the excitement of a bright future finally within reach. The families of Barnaby and Grace instead describe the idea of them receiving their degrees as “absolutely heart-breaking” and “tremendously sad”.

Grace’s mum, Mrs O’Malley- Kumar, described the emotional conflict as a “reminder of where our children should be and they’re not”, explaining that “it’s not something we physically could do”.

Despite the family not attending the university’s ceremony, Dr Kumar will make the courageous journey back to Nottingham on the 13th June to “lay a flower where my daughter fell.” This deeply personal act underscores the unimaginable pain and grief felt by those who loved Barnaby and Grace.

The call for lasting memorials

Most Read

Police release statement after influencer Emilie Kiser’s son tragically drowns in pool

Bonnie Blue has been ‘arrested’ as her sister posts statement and dramatic footage

Is Klarna really going bankrupt and shutting down? This is what’s actually happening

Beyond the bittersweet honour of the degrees, a deeper pain point for the families is the perceived lack of tangible memorial plans or adequate communication from the university and Nottingham City Council. As the second anniversary of the attack approaches, the families of Grace and Barnaby are now making their own plans to remember the tragic loss of life, and may be the last time Barnaby’s family attend.

Barnaby’s mother, Emma Webber, wrote to each organisation expressing “sadness and bitter disappointment” for a lack of communication in plans to recognise the victims in “any meaningful way”.

Mrs Webber powerfully stated: “There are no excuses for this shameful lack of care, compassion and respect for three lives so brutally taken”.

University response

In response, a University of Nottingham spokesperson acknowledged the posthumous degrees and stated it is “working with their families to understand how they would prefer to mark this important milestone.”

The university also recognises that the July ceremonies are “likely to be an emotional day for many of their cohort, who will be remembering their friends Barney and Grace”.

Students mark a final chapter

This summer, as many students prepare to leave Nottingham for the final time, the joy of graduation for Grace and Barnaby’s cohort will likely be shadowed by a profound absence. For those who knew them, the farewell to university life is now inextricably linked with the unspoken goodbyes to friends who should have been there.

Community events

The Grace O’Malley-Kumar Cup returns to Nottingham Hockey Centre on Saturday 19th July 2025, to commemorate Grace. Proceeds go towards the Grace O’Malley-Kumar Foundation which aims to “champion and support young people in communities through sport”. Tickets can be found on the University of Nottingham’s Students’ Union website.

Featured image via Nottinghamshire Police