Northumbria Police has initiated a criminal investigation into Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police regarding its treatment of Valdo Calocane, who was responsible for three fatal stabbings.
Calocane, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, killed 19-year-old students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley Kumar, and 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates, on 13 June 2023. He received an indefinite hospital order as his sentence. A public inquiry examining circumstances preceding the attacks revealed that the trust had sectioned Calocane on four separate occasions between 2020 and 2022. During one hospital admission, medical staff warned that Calocane posed a risk of causing fatal harm to others. Despite documented violent incidents and his refusal to take prescribed medication, Calocane was discharged from mental health services in September 2022 after failing to attend appointments and becoming unavailable to healthcare workers.
Corporate manslaughter is a serious criminal offense applicable only to certain organizations, including public bodies such as NHS trusts, designed to ensure accountability for deaths resulting from grave organizational failures. A successful prosecution could lead to substantial financial penalties and management changes at the trust.
The public inquiry into the attacks, expected to release its findings next year, also examined law enforcement response. Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire police forces acknowledged during the inquiry that they failed to act on an arrest warrant for Calocane at the time of the attacks, issued after he did not appear in court on allegations of assaulting a police officer. This gap in police coordination contributed to the decision for Northumbria Police to conduct the investigation into the NHS trust.
The Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust stated it is cooperating fully with the police investigation. A 2026 report by the Care Quality Commission indicated the trust requires significant improvements. Officials have emphasized their commitment to supporting the victims’ families and survivors throughout the investigative and inquiry processes.
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