Nottingham police insist attacks were ‘not preventable’ at public inquiry

Nottinghamshire Police has asserted that the deadly attacks in Nottingham on 13 June 2023 were not “reasonably foreseeable or preventable,” testimony delivered at the statutory public inquiry revealed. Valdo Calocane, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, killed Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates, and severely injured three others before being stopped by officers.

John Beggs KC, representing the force, addressed the inquiry chaired by retired senior judge Deborah Taylor KC. He challenged the narrative that errors made during Calocane’s prior interactions with police constituted missed opportunities to stop the massacre. Beggs stated, “The police cannot manage dangerous paranoid schizophrenics,” and argued that even if an outstanding arrest warrant had been executed, it was unlikely the attacks could have been averted.

Calocane admitted to three counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024. The inquiry, which commenced in February, has exposed significant failures across multiple agencies, including the failure to execute the arrest warrant and delays in sharing critical evidence.

Beggs cautioned the inquiry against assuming that every police omission was a chance to prevent the tragedy. “The appropriate question might be – missed opportunity to do what precisely?” he asked. He suggested that had Calocane been arrested, he would likely have faced a community order rather than detention, given his mental health status.

The position taken by the police has been fiercely contested by the families of the victims. Tim Moloney KC, representing the bereaved, previously described the suggestion that arrest would not have saved lives as “cowardly and insulting.” Several family members left the hearing room during Beggs’ address.

Further evidence presented to the inquiry highlighted serious lapses in disclosure. Documents found in Calocane’s bin, containing his “thoughts” on explosives such as TNT and nitrate fertiliser, were not disclosed to the Crown Prosecution Service or psychiatric experts until June this year. Additionally, records of violent assaults on colleagues in warehouses in 2021 and 2023 were only provided after the public hearings began.

Beggs maintained that Calocane’s behavior, including breaking into neighbors’ homes, was driven by mental illness and showed no evidence of intent to cause harm. However, when pressed by Judge Taylor, he conceded that hurting someone was a “possibility.”

The inquiry also examined the police response on the day of the attacks. Testimony revealed poor communication between officers, a delay in informing families of the deaths, and an initial assumption that the first attacks on Webber and O’Malley-Kumar were a robbery. Ian Coates’ body remained uncovered at the scene for approximately 15 hours because a forensic tent was delayed by more than two hours.

Beggs defended the overall management of the scenes but acknowledged specific shortcomings, stating that no evidential degradation resulted from the delays. The inquiry also heard of misconduct in the aftermath, including insensitive WhatsApp messages shared by two officers and unauthorized access to case evidence.

Nottinghamshire Police Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin had previously apologized for numerous mistakes. Beggs argued that while individual officers acknowledged failures, the June attacks themselves were not preventable based on the information available to the force at the time.

Concluding his submissions, Beggs highlighted the strain on both policing and mental health services. He warned that making recommendations that increase demand without additional funding would be unproductive, noting that the current mental health crisis would persist.

Judge Taylor has until May 2027 to deliver her final report and recommendations.