A judge has called for an apology from Nottinghamshire police after the force failed to disclose notebooks belonging to Valdo Calocane, the perpetrator of the 2023 Nottingham killings. The notebooks contained lists of bomb-making ingredients and "deeply misogynistic" ramblings, along with references to the Manchester Arena attack. Nottinghamshire police did not consider the material to be of "evidential value" and withheld its existence for three years.
The notebooks were discovered at Calocane's residence following the June 2023 attacks that resulted in the deaths of three people. The material was only recently provided to the inquiry into the attacks, after evidence hearings had concluded, when lawyers for the victims' families identified a reference in a police statement. Crucially, the notebooks were not shared with the Crown Prosecution Service or with psychiatrists who assessed Calocane's culpability.
This failure to disclose meant the notebooks were not considered when recommending Calocane be allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility, rather than face a murder trial. This decision, accepted by a judge, angered the victims' families who sought a murder conviction.
Her Honour Deborah Taylor, the chair of the inquiry, expressed her criticism during the final day of closing submissions. In a direct exchange with the force's representative, John Beggs KC, she questioned why the matter had not been addressed in his closing statement, reminding him of a previous warning regarding "frankness and candor."
When asked about the failure to hand over the notebooks, Mr. Beggs stated, "There is nothing I can say to either justify or mitigate that." Judge Taylor suggested an apology might be in order, to which Mr. Beggs responded that he believed one had already been offered, adding, "If an apology hasn't been proffered then I proffer it on behalf of my client." The judge indicated her expectation that such an apology should have been formally presented, to which Mr. Beggs acknowledged, "I'm sure those are my instructions. If I have missed them it's my fault."
The inquiry has highlighted numerous significant failures by both police and mental health services in relation to the deaths of students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates. The police had a warrant for Calocane's arrest for violence at the time of the killings but did not apprehend him. He had also been sectioned four times, only to be discharged by the NHS when he missed appointments.
Despite these failures, Mr. Beggs argued that the June 13 attacks "couldn't reasonably have been foreseen or prevented" by Nottinghamshire police, even though the force had interacted with Calocane at least 10 times in the preceding three years. He cited one instance where a woman was reportedly "terrified" and jumped from a first-floor window to escape him.
Mr. Beggs attributed the mistakes to underfunding and a national mental health crisis, stating that public services face high demand which they struggle to meet. He suggested that while scrutiny reveals deficiencies, many officers acted with skill and professionalism. He also cautioned against recommendations that would further strain police and mental health services without additional funding, emphasizing that police involvement should be limited to situations with an imminent risk to life.
His comments also drew criticism from the families regarding the management of the crime scene, particularly the delay in removing Mr. Coates' body, which remained on the road for up to 15 hours. Mr. Beggs conceded that the situation was "not perfect" but maintained that no "evidential degradation" occurred due to the delay.
The inquiry is scheduled to publish its full report later this year. The notebooks contained lists of explosives such as acetone peroxide (TATP), the same explosive used in the 2015 Paris and 2016 Brussels attacks.