Mother of Nottingham Killer Valdo Calocane Requested Hospital Admission After Outburst
A public inquiry examining systemic failures by NHS services and police forces preceding Valdo Calocane's triple killings has commenced its hearings. The inquiry aims to scrutinise the actions of prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, and medical professionals in the lead-up to the tragic events.
Violent Episode in 2020 Ignored Despite Mother's Pleas
During the inaugural day of proceedings, the inquiry learned that Calocane's mother, Celeste Calocane, urgently pleaded for her son to be admitted to a hospital following a violent outburst on 24 May 2020. This desperate request occurred a full three years before Calocane perpetrated a mass stabbing in Nottingham that claimed three lives.
Calocane, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, fatally stabbed University of Nottingham students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both aged 19, alongside school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in June 2023. He also attempted to murder three additional individuals during the same horrific incident.
Mental Health Professionals Deemed Community Treatment Appropriate
Counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale detailed that during the 2020 episode, Calocane was discovered "repeatedly kicking and punching a door" while trying to force entry into a neighbour's flat. A mental health professional assessed him and determined he was experiencing a psychotic episode, noting symptoms including auditory hallucinations, a vacant appearance, and severe sleep deprivation lasting five days.
Despite these alarming signs, a subsequent Mental Health Act assessment conducted by Dr Gandhi, approved mental health practitioner Ben Williams, and mental health nurse Anna Palmer concluded that Calocane should receive antipsychotic medication treatment within the community rather than through inpatient hospital admission.
Assessment Considerations Included Ethnicity and Research Data
According to evidence presented, Dr Gandhi indicated he initially leaned towards detaining Calocane due to this being his first presentation of psychosis and insufficient risk history information. However, the professional team also considered research evidence highlighting the overrepresentation of young black males in detention.
Dr Gandhi clarified that while awareness of health inequalities research forms part of his assessment role, this would not have directly influenced the decision regarding hospital admission versus community treatment. The inquiry will thoroughly examine the appropriateness of this critical Mental Health Act assessment.
Immediate Re-arrest Following Release
Shortly after his release, Calocane was arrested again for attempting to enter another neighbour's flat, terrifying the female occupant so profoundly that she leaped from her first-floor window, sustaining serious spinal injuries. Following this arrest, mental health nurse Anna Palmer spoke with Celeste Calocane, who explicitly stated "she would prefer that her son goes into hospital for treatment, as he's a risk to others in his current mental state."
Ms Langdale noted that inquiry chair Deborah Taylor may question why Calocane was released at that juncture and whether immediate community release represented an appropriate course of action. It was only during a further Mental Health Act assessment the following day that hospital detention under section was finally recommended.
Inquiry to Probe Contradictory Risk Assessments
The public inquiry will also investigate why services determined there had been "no incidents of violence" from Calocane prior to his discharge, despite the documented May 2020 episodes and an earlier incident where he entered a neighbour's flat confronting those he believed were spying on and tormenting him.
Previous NHS reports have already identified significant failings within Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust's management of Calocane, including inadequate risk assessments concerning potential harm to himself and others. Calocane received an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder, a outcome that has faced widespread criticism from victims' families.
The comprehensive public inquiry continues its work examining these tragic systemic failures.
