Elias Calocane has told the Nottingham attack inquiry that he believed violent messages from his brother, Valdo Calocane, were related to suicidal thoughts, not intentions to harm others.
Valdo Calocane, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, killed Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in June 2023. Elias Calocane gave evidence on Wednesday for the first time, saying he felt 'powerless' over his brother's mental health.
The inquiry heard that in 2020, Valdo sent messages including 'thinking about red rum' (murder backwards) and saying he wanted to 'hurt permanently'. Elias said he saw these as signs of suicide, not violence, and recalled an 'I love you' message as a 'goodbye'.
He admitted seeing his brother only twice between 2020 and 2023, partly due to Covid and his own difficulty coping. He described a 'sense of hopelessness' and feeling that services would not act until something happened.
The inquiry was told that Valdo called his brother the day before the attacks and again after killing the students, saying it 'had been done'. Elias said he still believed his brother had attempted suicide, not murdered others.
Elias only learned of Valdo's schizophrenia diagnosis four months after the attacks. The families of the bereaved shook their heads in disagreement during his evidence.
