The family of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, a 19-year-old student killed in Nottingham, have described her as a hero who died trying to protect her friend from an attacker. The University of Nottingham student was stabbed alongside Barnaby Webber, 19, as they walked home from a night out in the early hours of 13 June.
In court, prosecutor Karim Khalil KC said Ms O’Malley-Kumar showed “incredible bravery” by fighting and pushing Valdo Calocane, 32, after he attacked Mr Webber. The killer then turned on her, inflicting fatal injuries. Calocane had his pleas of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility accepted on Tuesday.
Addressing Calocane in court, Ms O’Malley-Kumar’s father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said: “She heroically and valiantly fought you. Like a hero she put herself in harm’s way. But unfortunately because of the weapon you carried she stood no chance. You showed yourself to be a cold, cowardly and calculating killer.”
Her brother James said: “I’ve not just lost my older sister, but my best friend. It’s a privilege to be able to say she’s my older sister. Now my job is to do my best to make her proud.”
The court heard that after killing the two students, Calocane went on to stab school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, and steal his van, which he used to hit three pedestrians. He admitted attempting to murder them. The prosecution accepted his manslaughter plea due to serious mental illness, a decision Dr Kumar said his daughter would be disappointed with.
