Nottingham Massacre Inquiry: Mother Condemns 'Arrogance and Evasion' of Officials
The mother of a student murdered in the 2023 Nottingham massacre has expressed profound dismay at the 'arrogance, evasion, and deflection' displayed by witnesses during an inquiry into the atrocity. Emma Webber, whose 19-year-old son Barney was one of three people stabbed to death by mentally ill Valdo Calocane, accused police, medical professionals, and prosecutors of 'doubling down on their flawed performance' as she reflected on systemic failures uncovered in the probe's harrowing initial six weeks.
Families Feel 'Heard' Amidst Trauma
Mrs Webber described how some of the evidence presented 'ran over me like a steam train', as inquiry chair Deborah Taylor heard details of how paranoid schizophrenic Calocane was free to kill Barney, student friend Grace O'Malley Kumar, and school caretaker Ian Coates during a bloody rampage. This occurred despite a history of violence that had seen him sectioned four times previously. However, she noted that the grieving families finally felt 'heard' after being called to the witness box to share their concerns about the build-up to the tragedy and how agencies handled the aftermath.
Litany of Failures Uncovered
The inquiry has revealed a series of critical failures, including:
- Police not realising Calocane was wanted for assaulting an emergency worker when they were called to a warehouse where he was accused of attacking two colleagues, just one month before the Nottingham atrocity.
- Medical professionals who 'considered the research evidence that shows over-representation of young black males in detention' and decided to release him back into the community before he struck.
- Prosecutors accepting Calocane's guilty pleas to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility due to his mental health, rather than pursuing a murder conviction. Families were not consulted and continue to believe murder charges should have been brought.
Senior Officials Criticised for Lack of Accountability
Speaking as the inquiry paused for its Easter break, Mrs Webber stated: 'All of us have been very disappointed with most of the witnesses and the evidence they have presented. They are clearly providing their well-rehearsed version of the truth.' She highlighted that there has been arrogance, evasion, deflection, and an almost total lack of ability to admit clear failures.
Senior figures such as recently retired police senior investigating officer Leigh Sanders, acting chief constable Rob Griffin, recently retired chief constable Kate Meynell, expert psychiatrist Nigel Blackwood, and CPS prosecutor Alan Murphy were singled out as the worst offenders. Mrs Webber remarked: 'Worryingly, they are all very senior so-called professionals and key decision makers. They have doubled down on their flawed performance, and stated they would likely come to the same conclusions and take the same actions again today that they did then. If this really is the best of our government agencies, then god help us all.'
Personal Toll and Determination to Continue
Mrs Webber and her husband Dave have attended every day of the inquiry, while also supporting their 'remarkable' son Charlie as he studies for his A-Levels back home in Somerset. She has found the experience of reliving what happened retraumatising, despite being grateful for the opportunity to address the inquiry personally from the witness box.
She said: 'From what we've seen so far, the scale of failure and ineptitude and unprofessionalism is on a scale that even I didn't think is worse than I thought. We have to do all that we can to not just survive this, but see this through to the end, and then try to look ahead.'
The inquiry is set to resume on April 13 and is due to run until the summer, with families and the public awaiting further revelations and accountability.
