Victims’ families hope inquiry into Nottingham attacks will finally give them closure

The family of victims killed in the Nottingham attacks have spoken out ahead of a public inquiry into the failings of public authorities.

In June 2023, Grace O’Malley Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates were killed, with another three hospitalised in a series of attacks by Valdo Calocane.

A year later, the Prime Minister announced an inquiry into the events leading up to it.

The son of a 65-year-old caretaker, Ian Coates, who was killed in the attacks said they hope the inquiry will finally give them the closure they need to move forward.

Three years on, Coates’ son Darren claimed public failures leading up to the attack have left surviving victims and families “unable to grieve”.

After the arrest of Valdo Calocane, it was revealed he had been hospitalised for paranoid schizophrenia multiple times from 2020-2022. Critics have therefore pointed to possible issues in the Nottinghamshire NHS Foundation Trust’s mental health sector.

The victims’ families hope the inquiry will shed light on the events leading up to 13th June 2023.

via Unsplash

After the sentencing hearing, James Coates, another son of Ian, said: “The NHS mental health trust have to be held accountable for their failures, along with the police”.

Sanjoy Kumar, Grace O’Malley-Kumar’s father, also said the “missed opportunities” to address the risk caused by Calocane’s mental health should be reviewed.

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Both men hope this inquiry will prevent future, similar cases.

Moving forward, Ian Coates’ family hope this inquiry will allow them to focus on their positive memories of him. He was a lifelong Nottingham Forest supporter; his sons still use the City Ground as a safe space where they can remember happy times with their father.

They remember him as a generous, hard-working member of the community who cared deeply about others.

As the inquiry progresses, families say they hope it will bring justice and closure. They want to ensure the victims can be remembered for the happiness they brought to others, rather than this tragic attack.

Ifti Majid, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are committed to giving our fullest cooperation and support to The Nottingham Inquiry and have been providing documents and witness statements, alongside other organisations, in relation to the devastating events of June 2023. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

If you have been affected by the content of this article, you can call the Nottingham SU Nightline on 01159514985 or contact the Nottingham Trent mental health support team on +44 (0)115 848 6623.

Alternatively, you can contact the Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123, or contact Shout, a 24/7 text messaging service, by texting the word “Shout” to 85258.

The NHS and Nottinghamshire police have been contacted for comment.

Featured image via Unsplash