Valdo Calocane: prosecutors accept guilty manslaughter plea for killing of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates

Prosecutors have accepted the guilty manslaughter plea of Nottingham triple-killer Valdo Calocane on the ground of diminished responsibility due to mental illness.

Calocane killed 19-year-old students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber and school caretaker Ian Coates during an incident near Nottingham University on June 13, 2023. Calocane also entered a not guilty plea towards murder charges, which were also accepted by prosecutor at Nottingham Crown Court today (January 23).

The triple-killer fatally stabbed Ms O'Malley-Kumar and Mr Webber on Ilkeston Road at around 4am. Mr Coates was found dead on Magdala Road around one hour later, also suffering from knife wounds. Calocane had previously admitted to the attempted murder of three people he hit with a van he stole from Mr Coates in the incident. All three people survived the collision.

At a previous hearing, his barrister Peter Joyce KC told the court that while the defendant "does not dispute the physical facts of the prosecution’s case”, he was suffering from "extreme" mental illness at the time of the attacks. The prosecutions acceptance of his pleas mean that Calocane will not face a murder trial, and will face a sentencing hearing at a later date.

The families of Miss O'Malley-Kumar, Mr Webber and Mr Coates were all consulted over the decision to accept his pleas. Karim Khalil KC told the court: “We considered carefully representations made in the course of those consultations; we also considered the particular gravity and complexity of this case, including that which we submit are the grossly aggravating factors of the multiplicity of fatal and intended fatal offending.

“In these circumstances, the Crown concluded that it was appropriate to accept the pleas to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility. For the avoidance of any possible doubt, it is the Crown’s position that the appalling facts of this case render it to be one of the utmost seriousness.”