Nottingham Killer Sought Arrest at MI5 Headquarters Before 2023 Attack, Public Inquiry Told
Valdo Calocane, the man who killed three people during a 2023 knife attack in Nottingham, attempted to hand himself into MI5 for arrest two years earlier, a public inquiry has heard. The 34-year-old fatally stabbed Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, during a stabbing spree in the city on 13 June 2023.
Calocane admitted to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and was subsequently sentenced to indefinite detention at a high-security hospital. The inquiry, which is being held in London, heard on Tuesday that in May 2021, Calocane had approached MI5 at their headquarters at Thames House in central London.
Calocane’s Attempt to Surrender to MI5 Security
PC Graham Foster, who confronted Calocane outside after he had rung the building’s intercom, told the inquiry that Calocane informed a member of security that he wanted to be arrested and speak to the police. When asked why he did not question Calocane on why he wanted to be arrested, Foster explained he aimed to “build a rapport” as he thought that was the best way to see if Calocane was “offering any other information.” He described Calocane as “calm, compliant and coherent” during the encounter.
Assessment by Fixated Threat Assessment Centre
Supt Lorraine Busby-McVey of the Metropolitan Police told the inquiry that Calocane was “looked at” by the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FATC), a unit that examines threats from fixated individuals, but he did not meet their threshold to be assessed further. Busby-McVey said that an intelligence report from the FTAC regarding Calocane’s visit to Thames House was passed to Nottinghamshire Police the next day, 1 June, but the force did not then carry out their own assessment.
She noted that this was something she “would have quite liked” to have happened. Additionally, she revealed that the report, though sent to the force, was not available to all the officers in it. A new system to improve the quality of information shared between police forces has since been implemented, she added.
Reports from Former Flatmate Ignored by Police
The inquiry also heard from Calocane’s former flatmate, named only as Sebastian, who said reports he made to Nottinghamshire Police that Calocane had accosted him at their flat were ignored. Sebastian described an incident where Calocane “grabbed hold of my shirt and my arm and pushed me against the wall and said some confusing words.” He added, “Then he basically said someone would contact me and that if they contacted me, I should tell them that VC would find them.”
Sebastian later contacted Nottinghamshire Police, and an officer told him they would file a report, which would be flagged to an agency, but they did not specify which. Beyond being grabbed by Calocane, Sebastian told the inquiry he suspected Calocane of stalking him and attempting to enter his bedroom at night.
He began locking his door after the incident, stating, “I know he is aggressive and that he could harm me again out of nowhere.” Sebastian also reported Calocane attempting to enter his room to the officer he had contacted previously but did not get a response, which he found “very surprising” and “weird.” When he heard about the Nottingham attacks, he suspected Calocane could have been the perpetrator before his identity was confirmed.
The inquiry continues as further details emerge about the events leading up to the tragic 2023 attack.
