The Nottingham Inquiry – Homepage

On 13 June 2023 in Nottingham, Valdo Calocane stabbed and killed Barney Webber, Grace O’Malley Kumar and Ian Coates, before driving into and seriously injuring Sharon Miller, Wayne Birkett and Marcin Gawronski, leaving them and their families with tragic and life- changing consequences.

Barney and Grace were talented, brave and loved young people torn away by dreadful violence on the threshold of their adult lives, and Ian was a hard working, kind and generous man, deprived by violent death of the enjoyment of his imminent retirement. Sharon and Wayne’s lives have been changed immeasurably by the trauma they suffered.

Following these events crowds at vigils held in Nottingham showed the shock and sympathy of the community, and subsequently there has been widespread support for the families’ campaign for this Inquiry, and for meaningful change to come out of this tragedy.

On 12 February 2025 the Prime Minister announced that there would be a Statutory Inquiry into the attacks in Nottingham, and on 2 April 2025 the Lord Chancellor announced my appointment as Chair of the Nottingham Inquiry.

Today the Inquiry website goes live and the full Terms of Reference published by the Lord Chancellor can be found on the website. The Terms of Reference follow the Lord Chancellor’s consultation, and my consultation with the families of the victims and with the survivors. In addition I have set out some questions which the Inquiry will address, and am grateful for suggestions made by the families and survivors in relation to these questions.

I now want to say something about the Inquiry, what has happened to date, and how we intend to proceed. The work of the Inquiry will fall under broadly two headings: firstly, what happened, when and why? Secondly, what can be done to prevent similar events happening again?

Much preliminary work has already been done. The Inquiry legal team have already started to gather documentary evidence from some organisations, and will continue to send detailed requests to others. Those approached have expressed a willingness to co-operate with and assist the Inquiry. In any event, because this is a Statutory Inquiry they are required to respond and provide evidence. Over the coming months the Inquiry team will analyse the documents, obtain statements, and instruct experts.

All evidence, written and oral, which will form part of the Inquiry will be heard in one set of hearings which are likely to run continuously, apart from a break for Easter, from late February to the end of May 2026. More accurate timings will be made available once it is determined how much oral evidence will be called.

As to what happened and why, in the three years prior to the attacks in Nottingham, Valdo Calocane had had received mental health treatment and had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He had also come into contact with the police. His mother was in contact with health care providers as to his mental health. We will look at any concerns she raised and how her concerns were treated.

Following the attacks in Nottingham, a number of investigations were instigated, and reports produced which address, and acknowledge, failings in the operation of different health and criminal justice agencies in Valdo Calocane’s treatment and the management of the risk he presented. But each of those investigations and reports cover one area only, and none address the whole picture, the full timeline of significant events, the knowledge and actions of each agency and those who worked for them, and the interaction between agencies.

This Inquiry will use the previous reports as a baseline to produce a comprehensive and thorough history and evaluation of actions taken and decisions made in the care and treatment provided to Valdo Calocane, the assessment of his risk in the community, and his own and his family’s interactions with all agencies, leading up to the 13 June

We will look at what happened in custody after his arrest. We will shine light on areas which have remained obscure, any which have not been addressed, as well as those which need to be looked at in more detail, and in the wider context.

As to what can be done to prevent similar events in the future, this Inquiry specifically concerns the attacks in Nottingham on 13 June 2023. Since the Inquiry has been announced, we have received requests for other cases of deaths caused by those receiving mental health treatment, both in Nottingham and in other parts of the country, to be included. Detailed investigation into those cases is outside the Terms of Reference and the Inquiry will not be considering any other case in depth.

However, the Inquiry will be making recommendations to prevent similar events happening in the future. Nobody should have to suffer what happened to Barney, Grace and Ian, to Sharon, Wayne and Marcin, and their families. The Nottingham attacks are not the only incident of homicide by mental health patients. I therefore want to make recommendations which are effective, evidence-based and of general application, and to do so, will be drawing on evidence about other similar cases

We will be approaching this aspect of the Inquiry in two ways: firstly, by obtaining expert evidence, guidance and policy materials, statistical and other historical data and evidence from agencies and others holding relevant information. We will look at current practice and standards, and whether and to what extent agencies work together and share information, and any changes which can be made in this respect to improve the care and outcomes for mental health patients, whilst balancing risk to the public.

Secondly, the Inquiry will be providing a means of capturing essential and relevant details about other similar cases in the form of a questionnaire available on the website to fill in online. So if you have been personally involved in or directly affected by a case in which there has been a homicide by a person undergoing or recently discharged from mental health treatment, and wish to contribute to the work of the Inquiry and the recommendations we make towards the prevention of further such cases, do please use this method to contact us. We are particularly interested in cases of homicide which have occurred over the last 10 years as best evidencing recent and current
practice in the treatment of mental health. In that way your experience can make a meaningful contribution to any recommendations for change.

Now the Terms of Reference are available and the Inquiry has formally started, we are keen to maintain momentum and proceed at pace. A venue for the hearings is being identified. More immediately, from today May 22 for a period of 6 weeks until July 3 there will be an opportunity for those who have a specific involvement and interest in this Inquiry to apply for Core Participant status. I will deal with those applications by the end of July at the latest. More information about Core Participant status is set out in the FAQs on the Nottingham Inquiry website, which aims to provide the answer to most of your questions.

The website will be kept up to date and will be the principal form of communication as to what is happening in the Inquiry. Any orders made in advance of the hearings will be made available on the website, and as the Inquiry progresses all important information, a timetable of evidence and then the evidence itself will be uploaded and publicly available.

As we approach the second anniversary of these terrible events I am sure our thoughts are with the bereaved families, and the survivors and their families who have suffered so grievously. I will be doing all I can to conduct this Inquiry thoroughly and fearlessly to uncover the full history of what occurred and why. Only then can the Inquiry identify lessons to be learned and necessary change aimed at preventing anybody else having to endure the unimaginable torment and grief of those involved in this case. That is the least they deserve. It will require will and commitment to make that happen, not only from the Inquiry team, but also from all those with contributions to make.

Let us ensure that we do.