Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is facing an unprecedented investigation for corporate manslaughter following the discharge of Valdo Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic who murdered three individuals in June 2023. Calocane was discharged in September 2022 despite a history of violence, threats to kill, and refusal to take medication.
Calocane had been under the trust's care for two years and was sectioned four times during that period. He was discharged when he stopped attending appointments and staff were unable to locate him. Months later, he fatally stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, a 65-year-old school caretaker. He also attacked three pedestrians with a van.
Detectives from Northumbria Police, who are conducting the inquiry on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police, have instructed the trust to preserve all records related to the attacks. Corporate manslaughter charges can result in unlimited fines and are levied for serious failings that constitute a breach of duty of care. This would mark the first time an NHS trust has faced such charges over the actions of a patient released into the community.
Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber, stated that the police investigation represents a move that will send "much-needed shockwaves across our public services, and in particular the NHS." She emphasized the need for accountability for those who failed to manage the threat posed by Calocane, including senior leadership and clinical staff. She added that the investigation signifies the "beginning of the reckoning" in memory of the victims and for the protection of future potential victims.
A public inquiry into the attacks, which concluded its evidence-gathering phase in May, heard that Calocane was discharged to his GP because he was not attending appointments and the team had "lost" him. An NHS trust team leader, Emma Robinson, stated, "We couldn't work with him, we couldn't find him at this point."
Police are also reportedly examining other attacks by patients of the same trust in the four years preceding Calocane's rampage, during which there were 15 other serious violent incidents involving current or former patients, including a matricide. These investigations will also assess whether the trust's leadership took adequate measures to prevent future incidents.
Nottinghamshire Police faced criticism for its handling of the case and its failure to arrest Calocane before the attacks, despite an arrest warrant being issued in September 2022. Former Chief Constable Kate Meynell described the failure to apprehend Calocane as "unacceptable," noting that the warrant was placed in an inbox that was not regularly monitored.
Calocane pleaded guilty to manslaughter and attempted murder. In January 2024, prosecutors accepted his not guilty pleas to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, leading to his detention in a high-security hospital rather than prison, a decision that angered the victims' families.
The public inquiry, which lasted over three months and heard from 164 witnesses, is expected to deliver its findings and recommendations next year. A spokesperson for Northumbria Police confirmed the investigation and stated that they are in contact with the victims' families and survivors. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has stated it will cooperate fully with the police investigation and the ongoing statutory inquiry.