Barnaby Webber’s mum speaks out about Panorama’s ‘shameful’ Nottingham attacks episode

The episode explored the mental health background of her son’s killer

5 hours ago

BBC Panorama has come under fire from the mother of one of the Nottingham attack victims who labelled an episode on the attacks as “shameful, cold, ill-judged”.

The programme itself investigated the mental health background of the Nottingham killer, Valdo Calocane.

Emma Webber, whose son Barnaby was killed last year, has criticised the programme, asking “what lessons can be learned” from the attacks.

In June 2023, Calocane stabbed Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates, to death in Nottingham city centre and has since been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.

Last month, an episode of Panorama aired, titled “The Nottingham Attacks: A Search For Answers”, with members of the Calocane’s family being featured in order to “shed light on the missed opportunities in his care”.

When speaking to The Mirror, Barnaby’s mother, Emma Webber said: “We believe what the BBC produced is a very imbalanced documentary – it’s shameful, cold, ill-judged, arrogant and thoughtless.”

According to the newspaper, relatives of the victims have made a formal complaint concerning the specific episode of Panorama as they believe it shows “inaccuracies, was too sympathetic towards the knifeman’s family and they were refused a preview screening”.

Mrs Webber said: “We were not considered or consulted at any point to advise that this was being made.”

The families’ lawyer, Neil Hudgell, told the The Mirror: “They were told as a ‘fait accompli’ when the piece was airing, they had no opportunity to be involved.

“Had they been consulted they could have pointed out some obvious factual errors.”

He continued by saying the families believe they were “excluded” from the process so that Panorama “could promote the narrative that the Calocane family were victims too”.

He added that the family were not given access to an early viewing of the documentary and that they felt “considerable additional anxiety” in the run up to it airing due to the fact they did not know what would be airing.

He then said, regarding what aired: “Their fears were confirmed.”

Mr Hudgell also emphasised that the families have “no interest in compensation” but that “this is about proper accountability based on fair, proper and accurate reporting. It is about setting the record straight.”

A spokesperson from the BBC told The Tab: “We have the deepest sympathy for the families, and the Panorama team has been extremely mindful of the sensitivities in handling this programme. Ahead of broadcast of the programme the team were in touch with the bereaved families to give them an outline of the editorial focus of the programme and the families were informed it would include interviews with the Calocane family.

“This investigation was very much in the public interest, with important revelations about failings and unheeded warnings in the mental health care and treatment of Valdo Calocane over a period of several years leading up to the tragic events in Nottingham.

Barnaby Webber’s mum speaks out about Panorama’s ‘shameful’ Nottingham attacks episode

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