A UK COURT is expected to look at “gaps” in handling the risk to society posed by a man who killed two young adults last year, according to the father of one of the victims.
Grace O’Malley-Kumar was 19 years old when Valdo Calocane, 32, repeatedly stabbed her friend Barnaby Webber, also 19, in Nottingham in June 2023. Grace tried to defend her friend and fight off the attacker, who then turned on her and killed her.
Post-mortem exams on Grace and Barnaby showed they both suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen and had defensive stab wounds to their hands and arms.
Calocane also fatally stabbed Ian Coates, a 65-year-old school caretaker, and stole his van and crashed into three people.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and attempted murder and is awaiting sentencing by Nottingham Crown Court.
He has a history of mental health problems and had previous encounters with the police before the attacks.
The Times reported this morning that Calocane had been wanted by police for nine months for assaulting an officer.
In an interview with Sky News, Grace’s father Dr Sanjoy Kumar said he believes the courts will address Calocane’s mental health history in the coming days.
“I think the courts will about some of the evidence regarding the mental health history and what should have been done and what didn’t get done,” he said in the interview.
“I think it’s a trifle premature at the moment to start looking into the gaps – and there were gaps. But I think this is something that will definitely be will be out in the open in the next few days as it is discussed in court initially.”
In his victim impact statement to the court yesterday, Dr Kumar accused Calocane of deceiving psychiatrists and called for the “despicable” killer to be “removed from society altogether and forever”.
In his victim impact statement, he said his daughter “represented everything that is positive about a modern society in Britain and Ireland”.
“The impact of losing our daughter has been utterly devastating for our whole family and our friends,” Dr Kumar said.
The manner in which Grace lost her life has multiplied the magnitude of our pain.
“Grace was a kind, warm and generous person. She was the friend you would want. She hated exclusion of others and always tried her to best to defend the lonely.”
Grace’s mother, Sinead O’Malley, who is from Ireland, said the “revolting cowardice of the defendant compared to the heroism of our Gracie is incomparable”.
“I’m so proud of the person she was. She was a wonderful friend,” she said.
“She always stood up for her friends and she paid the ultimate price with her life. I remain immensely proud of her bravery.”
Grace’s brother, James O’Malley-Kumar, 17, said in his victim impact statement that the murder of his sister “put me, as a child, through hell”.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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