Nottingham attack families to meet Prime Minister amid calls for inquiry
The families are pushing for a judge-led statutory inquiry into the attack
The families of the victims of the Nottingham attack are set to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer today as part of a push for an inquiry into the incident.
Valdo Calocane killed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, aged both 19, in the attack in June 2023.
He also went on to kill caretaker Ian Coates, aged 65, before attempted to kill another three people as the attack unfolded in the early hours of the morning.
The families of those killed in the attack have since called on the government to launch a full inquiry into the incident, calling for medical professionals who had been working with Calocane to be named.
At a press conference earlier this week, the families criticised a report which had been released that went into detail on the amount of contact Calocane had with mental health services leading up to the spate of attacks.
Now, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will meet with the families this afternoon (February 12th) as part of their campaign.
In a statement, Downing Street said that Sir Keir is "committed" to an inquiry led by a judge, and has not refused to rule out a full inquiry with full powers.
Barnaby's mother Emma Webber added that the meeting will ensure that the inquiry will have the "teeth" to ensure that those who had contact with Calocane are held to account.
"It has been a long and traumatic battle for the families," she said, "but we are glad to finally have the opportunity to meet with the PM and senior Cabinet ministers, in what we hope will be the moment we get confirmation that the already promised public inquiry is going to be statutory.
"Meaning that it has the 'teeth' it needs to ensure all organisations, institutions and individuals involved in the care, treatment of Calocane, and the investigation and prosecution of his crimes, are finally made to tell the truth.
"It has to be a watershed moment in this country to hold those who fail to account, address miscarriages of justice and, crucially, bring in changes needed to keep the public safe and make sure this can never happen again."
Calocane is currently serving an indefinite hospital order after pleading not guilty to murder by diminished responsibility.
Prosecutors had accepted his pleas, after it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.