Northumbria Police has begun a corporate manslaughter investigation into Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) over its care of triple killer Valdo Calocane, the trust has confirmed.
Emma Webber, mother of victim Barnaby Webber, said the probe will send "much-needed shockwaves across our public services" and marks "the beginning of the reckoning".
Background of the attacks
Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic under NHFT care from 2020 to 2022, fatally stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in Nottingham on June 13 2023. He also attempted to murder three pedestrians with a stolen van.
He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after pleading guilty to manslaughter and attempted murder.
Police investigation
NHFT said in a statement that Northumbria Police, acting on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police, had started the investigation. The trust said it would be "co-operating fully".
Emma Webber said she was aware the investigation had been considered since December 2025 and was told weeks ago that the "very high threshold and bar had been met". She said a full investigation involving the Crown Prosecution Service will now commence.
Victim's mother calls for accountability
In a statement, Mrs Webber said: "This has to be the line in the sand – when those who fail, neglect and cover up, from the leaders at the top down, are fully held to account and made to recognise their failures."
She named chief executives, board members, clinicians and hospital managers as those who "failed to manage and recognise the threat posed by Valdo Calocane".
She added: "This statement today brings us no joy, but it does signify the beginning of the reckoning – in Barney's memory, in Grace's memory and in Ian's memory, and for the protection of those in the future who could face another Valdo Calocane."
Public inquiry
A public inquiry into the attacks, which heard from 164 witnesses, finished in June. Chairwoman Her Honour Deborah Taylor is expected to report findings and recommendations next year.
