Nottingham Triple Killer Attempted to Grab Knife in Prior Assault, Inquiry Reveals
A future triple murderer was observed 'trying to reach for a knife' after violently assaulting two colleagues just weeks before he carried out the horrific Nottingham stabbing spree, a public inquiry has been told. The disturbing incident occurred at a warehouse in Derby on May 5, 2023, where Valdo Calocane launched an unprovoked attack on a male coworker and then kicked the man's wife when she intervened to defend her husband.
Warehouse Attack Described as 'Wild' and Unprovoked
Workers at the Arvato warehouse in Leicestershire described how the typically 'quiet' Calocane suddenly became aggressive. The male victim, whose name was redacted for legal reasons, provided a harrowing account to the inquiry. 'He approached me to talk about a machine, then in the next second… hit me with a clenched fist twice,' he stated. 'He punched me behind the left ear, and it hurt a lot. After he hit me the first time, I lost my balance. I just wanted to get out of there.'
The assault escalated rapidly as Calocane jumped over pallets to strike the victim again behind the same ear, causing him to fall to the ground. In a further act of violence, Calocane then turned his anger towards the victim's wife, kicking her before colleagues could intervene. Witnesses described Calocane as appearing 'very wild' with his eyes 'popped out', repeatedly shouting 'don't touch me' while seemingly attempting to seize a Stanley knife from the floor—a tool prohibited for worker use at the site.
Police Failures and Missed Warnings
Despite this violent episode and Calocane's known history of aggression, police did not press charges. The inquiry heard that a junior officer failed to identify Calocane's violent past due to a misspelling of his name on official logs. Police Constable Sarah Barnes, who handled a stalking report from Calocane's former flatmate in 2022, admitted she did not thoroughly investigate previous incidents because she 'prioritised my time' elsewhere amid a heavy caseload.
'I think there could have been more time put into the case,' Barnes conceded, acknowledging personal responsibility for the inadequate investigation. 'Due to demand and the caseload that I had at the time, being very new, very young… I needed further guidance.' This critical failure meant Calocane remained free to commit his devastating crimes on June 13, 2023.
The Nottingham Atrocity and Ongoing Inquiry
Just weeks after the warehouse assault, Calocane fatally stabbed 19-year-old Nottingham University students Barney Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, along with 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates, in a series of apparently random knife attacks. He has since been jailed indefinitely under a hospital order after pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The inquiry continues to examine systemic failings in the case, including how warnings from witnesses—who reported Calocane's unstable mental state and potential weapon use—were overlooked. One colleague, Matthew, told the inquiry he explicitly informed police about the knife and his belief that Calocane was 'mentally unstable', yet the incident was closed without further action. The proceedings aim to uncover the full extent of missed opportunities that could have prevented the tragic loss of three innocent lives.
