Triple killer Valdo Calocane’s sentence could be referred to the Court of Appeal after the attorney general received a complaint arguing it’s too lenient.
Calocane stabbed to death Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates in Nottingham in June, and tried to kill three others with a van.
The deal was done as experts agreed he had paranoid schizophrenia so wasn’t fully responsible for his actions.
The victims’ families have criticised the sentence – as well as authorities they say could have prevented the tragedy.
Speaking at court on Thursday, Mr Webber’s mother Emma said “true justice has not been served” and accused a police chief of having “blood on your hands”.
“This man [Calocane] made a mockery of the system and he has got away with murder,” added Mr Coates’ son James.
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A spokesman for Attorney General Victoria Prentis, the government’s chief lawyer, confirmed a referral had been received shortly on Thursday.
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‘Justice has not been served’
She now has 28 days to decide whether to refer the case to the Court of Appeal for judges to decide if the sentence is appropriate.
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However, it’s understood the attorney general is unlikely to look at whether the correct charge was pursued.
It’s not known who made the referral, but any person or institution can ask for a review.
The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Turner, said 32-year-old Colocane would “very probably” be detained in a high-security hospital for the rest of his life.
Families were united outside court as they accused the Crown Prosecution Service, police and the NHS of multiple failures.
Image: Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Ian Coates. Pic: Family handouts
They said prosecutors had already made up their minds when they informed them they would accept Calocane’s manslaughter plea.
“At no point during the previous five-and-a-half-months were we given any indication that this could conclude in anything other than murder,” said Mrs Webber.
‘He knew it was wrong’
She said although Calocane was mentally unwell, the attacks were premeditated and “he knew entirely that it was wrong but he did it anyway”.
Nottingham Crown Court heard he had previously been detained in hospital four times under mental health laws and had a history of refusing his medication.
Calocane was also arrested for assaulting a police officer in September 2021, involved in criminal damage and once visited MI5 headquarters to ask them to stop “controlling him”.
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CCTV shows teens’ final moments before stabbing
Rob Griffin, Nottinghamshire Police’s assistant chief constable, admitted “we should have done more to arrest him” after he failed to appear in court for assaulting the officer.
However, he said it was unlikely Calocane would have been jailed and there wasn’t anything “obvious” to suggest he would commit the savage attacks.
Calocane’s arrest warrant was still outstanding at the time of the killings.
Students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, died after being stabbed repeatedly as they walked home in the early hours of 13 June.
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New footage shows Calocane’s arrest
Calocane walked away calmly and later stabbed school caretaker Ian Coates 15 times, stealing the 65-year-old’s van and using it to knock over three people.
Calocane admitted attempted murder over the van attack.
Police tasered him soon after and found two knives and a scaffolding pole in his backpack.
The court heard Calocane would hear voices telling him to kill people or his family would be hurt. However, he wasn’t taking his prescribed medication.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declined to back calls for a public inquiry into alleged failings.
However, he said it was “important that all the relevant agencies look back to ensure all reasonable steps that could have been taken were taken and if there are any lessons to be learned that we do so”.
But what about his style ‘prince’? Some want that ditched too.
It’s a complicated but not impossible process. Andrew could, of course, just stop using it voluntarily.
Some want him to give up his home, too. For a non-working royal, the stately Royal Lodge, with its plum position on the Windsor Estate, is an uncomfortable optic.
With the reputation of the monarchy at risk, William does not want to appear weak. He’s putting loyalty to “the firm” firmly above his familial relationships.
Prince Andrew has always strongly denied the allegations, and restated on Friday: “I vigorously deny the accusations against me”. Sky News has approached him for comment on the fresh allegations set out in the Mail on Sunday.
But with Virginia Giuffre’s tragic death and posthumous memoir due out on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace will be braced for more scandal.
When Andrew gave up his titles, there was certainly a sense of relief.
There is now a sense of dread over what else could emerge.
Sky News’ royal commentator has explained why Prince Andrew has not given up being called a prince – while another expert has said “the decent thing” for him to do would be “go into exile” overseas.
Andrew announced on Friday that he would stop using his Duke of York title and relinquish all other honours, including his role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
However, he will continue to be known as a prince.
Royal commentator Alastair Bruce said that while Andrew’s other honours and titles were conferred to him later in life, he became a prince when he was born to Elizabeth II while she was queen.
He told presenter Kamali Melbourne: “I think […] that style was quite special to the late Queen,” he said. “And perhaps the King, for the moment, thinks that can be left alone.
“It’s a matter really for the King, for the royal household, perhaps with the guidance and advice of government, which I’m sure they are taking.”
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Who pushed Andrew to drop his titles?
Since Andrew’s announcement, there has been speculation over whether any further measures will be taken – and one author has now called for him to “go into exile”.
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Andrew Lownie, author of The Rise And Fall Of The House Of York, said: “The only way the story will go away is if he leaves Royal Lodge, goes into exile abroad with his ex-wife, and is basically stripped of all his honours, including Prince Andrew.”
Royal Lodge is the Windsor mansion Andrew lives in with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who has also lost her Duchess of York title.
Image: Andrew and his former wife continue to live on the Windsor estate. Pic: Reuters
Mr Lownie continued: “He makes out he’s an honourable man and he’s putting country and family first. Well, if he is, then the optics look terrible for the monarchy. A non-working royal in a 30-room Crown Estate property with a peppercorn rent.
“He should do the decent thing and go. And frankly, he should go into exile.”
Mr Lownie added if the Royal Family “genuinely want to cut links, they have to put pressure on him to voluntarily get out”.
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Windsor’s take on Prince Andrew
Andrew’s decision to stop using his titles was announced amid renewed scrutiny of his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and fresh stories linked to the late Virginia Giuffre.
Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, alleged she was sexually assaulted by Andrew on three occasions – which he has always vigorously denied.
Bereaved families whose loved ones took their own lives after buying the same poison online have written to the prime minister demanding urgent action.
Warning: This article contains references to suicide
The group claims there have been “multiple missed opportunities” to shut down online forums that promote suicide and dangerous substances.
They warn that over 100 people have died after purchasing a particular poison in the last 10 years.
Among those who have written to Downing Street is Pete Aitken, whose daughter Hannah was 22 when she took her own life after buying the poison from a website.
Hannah was autistic and had ADHD. She was treated in six different mental health hospitals over a four-year period.
He said: “Autistic people seem to be most vulnerable to this kind of sort of poison and, you know, wanting to take their lives.”
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Pete Aitken speaking to Sky News
Sky News is not naming the poison, but Hannah was able to buy a kilogram of it online. Just one gram is potentially fatal.
“There’s this disparity between the concentration required for its legitimate use and that required for ending your life. And it seems quite clear you could make a distinction,” Mr Aitken said.
Analysis from the Molly Rose Foundation and the group Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms says at least 133 people have died because of the poison. It also says coroners have written warnings about the substance on 65 separate occasions.
The report accuses the Home Office of failing to strengthen the regulation of the poison and says not enough is being done to close dangerous suicide forums online.
Lawyers representing the group want a public inquiry into the deaths.
In a joint letter to the prime minister, the families said: “We write as families whose loved ones were let down by a state that was too slow to respond to the threat.
“This series of failings requires a statutory response, not just to understand why our loved ones died but also to prevent more lives being lost in a similar way.”
The group’s lawyer, Merry Varney, from Leigh Day, said: “The government is rightly committed to preventing deaths through suicide, yet despite repeated warnings of the risks posed by an easily accessible substance, fatal in small quantities and essentially advertised on online forums, no meaningful steps have been taken.”
Image: Hannah’s dad is one of the family members to have signed the letter
A government spokesperson said: “Suicide devastates families and we are unequivocal about the responsibilities online services have to keep people safe on their platforms.
“Under the Online Safety Act, services must take action to prevent users from accessing illegal suicide and self-harm content and ensure children are protected from harmful content that promotes it.
“If they fail to do so, they can expect to face robust enforcement, including substantial fines.”
They added that the position is “closely monitored and reportable under the Poisons Act, meaning retailers must alert authorities if they suspect it is being bought to cause harm”.
“We will continue to keep dangerous substances under review to ensure the right safeguards are in place,” they said.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.