The Nottingham Inquiry hears triple killer should've been referred to prosecutors before attacks
Valdo Calocane killed University of Nottingham undergraduates Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and grandfather Ian Coates, 65, and attempted to kill three more people in the early hours of June 13 2023.
Triple killer Valdo Calocane should have been referred to prosecutors to decide whether he should be charged with a crime years before he fatally stabbed three people, a police officer has told the Nottingham attacks public inquiry.
The former student, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was arrested in May 2020 when he kicked at a woman's door until she jumped out of the first-floor window from fear, causing her a spinal injury which required surgery.
The police investigation was "halted" after the supervising officer read a doctor's email which said Calocane was "not in touch with reality", chairwoman Deborah Taylor heard on Monday.
More than three years later, Calocane killed University of Nottingham undergraduates Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and grandfather Ian Coates, 65, and attempted to kill three more people in the early hours of June 13 2023.
Nottinghamshire Police sergeant Katie Sparks, who was supervising the officer who dealt with the incident in May 2020, gave evidence to the inquiry, which is being held in London.
Ms Sparks said she decided not to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) based on an email she read from Dr Faizal Seedat, from Highbury Hospital, a mental health facility where Calocane had been detained.
Barrister Julian Blake, of the inquiry's team of counsel, asked Ms Sparks whether the case should have been referred to the CPS based on the policy, considering the incident involved grievous bodily harm and Calocane's mental health was a factor.
Ms Sparks replied: "Yes, it should."
Asked if it was usual for cases of grievous bodily harm not to be referred to the CPS, Ms Sparks said: "I wouldn't say it's usual. But using the evidence that I had at the time, that was the decision I made.
"It didn't feel like it met the test to take it to CPS. And there is an expectation by the CPS on supervisors that only when it reaches that test does it get referred to them, regardless of the seriousness of any offence."
She said an email from Dr Seedat, which said Calocane had no recollection of the offence, was sufficient for her to make her decision at the time, but on reflection she could have got more details from him.
Ms Sparks said: "That email provided the information that I felt therefore made it impossible to take to the CPS to get that decision. Therefore it halted the investigation at that point."
Ms Sparks denied that there was "reluctance" from the Nottinghamshire force to pass cases to the CPS that "relate to relatively low-level offending involving mental health".
Pressed on whether the investigation concluded too quickly, Ms Sparks said: "All aspects of the investigation were in place at the time.
"I needed to make that decision, and I made it using the information I had before me at the time, which was the victim's account, witness accounts, CCTV inquiries. And that was the decision I made."
Ms Sparks told the inquiry that on reflection, officers "could do more", such as speaking to Dr Seedat further about the case and asking Calocane more questions before closing the investigation.
In a review of the decision not to refer the case to the CPS, another officer said prosecutors would not necessarily come to a different decision, but it would have provided a "more transparent, accountable process in a case involving significant injury", the inquiry heard.
The inquiry will continue on Tuesday.