Nottinghamshire Police are facing accusations of failing to inform the families of victims of the 2023 Nottingham stabbings about a separate threat posed by a mentally ill man who had allegedly sought them out. The suspect is reported to have had a fixation on the attacks that resulted in the deaths of students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and school caretaker Ian Coates.

It has since emerged that a second individual, who had absconded from a mental health hospital, allegedly targeted Barnaby Webber's family home in Somerset and the GP surgery where Grace O'Malley-Kumar's father, Dr. Sanjoy Kumar, worked. Despite being aware of the potential threat, police reportedly did not notify the families at the time, with officers allegedly downplaying the risk because the individual was purportedly attempting to "help" them.

Emma Webber, Barnaby's mother, expressed her exhaustion with what she described as "repeat failings," drawing parallels between the suspect's actions and those of Valdo Calocane, the perpetrator of the 2023 killings. "We are told that a mentally ill man with a fixation on the Nottingham attacks, a history of concerning behaviour, and links to Prevent was able to travel to our hometown, actively seek out our family and the families of other victims, yet we were left completely in the dark," Webber stated. "We were given no warning, no safeguarding advice, and no opportunity to take steps to protect ourselves, our workplaces, or our son Charlie's school."

She described the revelation as "utterly chilling" and "terrifying," emphasizing the lack of information provided to families already grappling with the trauma of losing loved ones. Webber added that it was "most disturbing" that information about the potential new threat was withheld for "many months" while officials allegedly discussed the matter internally, prepared profiles, and consulted lawyers.

Nottinghamshire Police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is already investigating several potential failures related to Calocane's case, including how he was at large despite an arrest warrant. An IOPC spokesperson confirmed receipt of the referral regarding information allegedly withheld from the victims' families about a potential witness who had tried to contact them. The watchdog is currently assessing the referral.

The IOPC also acknowledged that they recognized the families should have been updated sooner about the watchdog speaking to a witness in January 2025 in connection with their investigation into the force's interactions with Calocane prior to the attacks. At that time, it was unclear if Calocane was the suspect for the matters reported by the witness, and the information was assessed as not relevant to the IOPC's inquiries. However, the force was made aware of the information to take appropriate safeguarding measures.

It is understood that the stalker has since been returned to a hospital. The incident came to light over the summer when the mental health patient complained that the IOPC had not taken his cover-up allegations seriously.

Valdo Calocane, who had a history of violence and had been sectioned multiple times, was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility for the 2023 attacks. An ongoing inquiry into the events has heard evidence of Calocane misleading medical professionals and concerns previously raised by a consultant psychiatrist who warned he "could end up killing someone."