Barnaby’s mum Emma Webber said she cannot face the prospect of reading a letter sent to her by his killer’s family (Picture: PA)
The mum of one of the students stabbed to death in Nottingham a year ago has revealed she was sent a letter by triple-killer Valdo Calocane’s family but still cannot face opening it.
Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar were ambushed as they walked home from a night-out in the early hours of June 13 last year.
Both 19-year-olds died where they were attacked before Calocane knifed 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates, stole his van, and used it to try and kill three pedestrians.
In a joint statement, relatives of the three victims killed said they would take time today to remember ‘the souls of the three vibrant, caring, hard-working and much loved family members who are no longer here’.
They also reiterated their belief Calocane effectively got away with murder ‘because of a weak investigation and prosecution, over reliance upon doctors’ evidence and archaic out-of-date laws’ on diminished responsibility.
Prosecutors accepted his guilty pleas to manslaughter after several psychiatrists concluded he had paranoid schizophrenia.
Barnaby Webber pictured with his parents (Picture: Emma and David Webber)
Barnaby Webber was the first victim ambushed by Calocane (Picture: PA)
Grace O’Malley-Kumar was also killed as she tried to help her friend (Picture: PA)
Ian Coates was then stabbed to death (Picture: PA)
Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of her son’s death, Barnaby’s mum Emma Webber said she cannot face the prospect of reading a letter sent to her by his killer’s family.
In it, they are thought to ‘blame the authorities and the agency failings’ instead of take ‘any responsibility’ themselves, she said.
‘I have no compassion for the Calocane family,’ she told the Mirror. ‘His mother hasn’t lost her son. He is still living and breathing. He is still there.’
She added: ‘I wouldn’t trust myself to be near them at the moment. I don’t want to look into the faces of the people that brought this monster into the world. That sounds awful but it’s what I think.’
In their joint statement, the victims’ families said: ‘On the 13th June 2023 our lives changed forever.
‘The brutal, calculated and unprovoked attack by Valdo Calocane took the lives of three innocent, decent and kind human beings: Barney Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates. Three people who made a difference to this world and actively contributed to our society.
Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber, making a statement alongside relatives of the victims outside Nottingham Crown Court (Picture: PA)
‘This individual carefully planned his assault, stockpiled his weapons in advance and chose his victims.
‘He knew what he was doing, he knew it was wrong, but he did it anyway. And therefore, he is a murderer.
‘It is because of a weak investigation and prosecution, over reliance upon doctors’ evidence and archaic out-of-date laws that Calocane receives no punishment for his heinous acts.’
They added: ‘Today we will take time and pause to reflect upon that tragic day and remember the souls of the three vibrant, caring, hard-working and much-loved family members who are no longer here.
‘Today is not the day for fight.
‘But tomorrow is. We continue in our relentless pursuit for appropriate justice, individual and organisational accountability, lasting change to our society and laws that will provide improved protection and public safety, appropriate punishment for crimes and improved support for victims and their families.
Prosecutors accepted Calocane’s pleas of not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to mental illness (Picture: PA)
‘As three families we stand united by grief and loss, but fuelled by our anger at the scale of failings, poor policing, weak prosecution, dereliction of duty in medical care and a series of catastrophic missed opportunities that would, and should have stopped these entirely preventable deaths.’
The bereaved relatives also said they have accepted the offer of support from Neil Hudgell, of Manchester-based Hudgell Solicitors, and Tim Moloney KC, of Doughty Street Chambers, and their legal teams.
The families’ statement continued: ‘We have endured much over the past 12 painful and agonising months in our fight for answers and justice.
‘Up until this point we have worked tirelessly as families and now with our legal representatives, we will take our fight for accountability to the next level.
‘With this support we will ensure the failures of Leicester Police, Nottingham Police and Nottingham Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – amongst others – are exposed and accounted for.
‘No stone will be left unturned as we continue on our quest for answers, for however long this may take.’
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