University 'in the dark' over triple killer's risk

University staff have told a public inquiry they were left "in the dark" about the risk of a former student with mental health issues who went on to kill three people.

Valdo Calocane was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, while he was a student at the University of Nottingham, three years before he fatally stabbed three people and hit three others with a van.

On Wednesday the inquiry heard despite Claire Thompson's involvement as ex-wellbeing officer with Calocane during his years as a student, she became a "close point of contact" for two of the victims' families.

Thompson said assessing Calocane's risk was "very difficult - especially when we have access to so little information".

Calocane was a student at the university between 2017 and 2022, while Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar were 19-year-old students at the time they were stabbed to death in Nottingham on 13 June 2023.

Calocane then fatally stabbed 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates before using Coates's van to drive into Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski - seriously injuring all three.

He was sentenced to a hospital order after pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and three counts of attempted murder.

The public inquiry hearings, led by retired senior judge Deborah Taylor KC, began on Monday and are expected to hear from more than 100 witnesses over the course of nine weeks.

The university first became aware of Calocane's struggles with his mental health in June 2020 when his mother Celeste emailed the university about his first psychotic episode and subsequent admission to a mental health ward.

A number of incidents followed that admission, over the next two years - some of which the university was aware of, but others that it was not.

He became increasingly violent towards other students and was detained under the Mental Health Act on numerous occasions, but was not removed from his studies.

Claire Thompson, former associate director of student wellbeing, told the inquiry: "A lot of the information, we have become aware of since the actual attacks happened."

Calocane had a period away from his studies between November 2020 and 2021.

The university said it did not suggest an earlier interruption because his risk to other students was "low" due to the country being under Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

When asked about risks to other students upon his return, Thompson said: "We would expect that risk to have been fully assessed by the mental health team who have got the remit and information.

"It's very difficult especially when we have access to so little information."

The inquiry heard between May and September 2021 Calocane visited MI5 claiming to have information about a case, was involved in an incident with a flatmate and assaulted a police officer. The university said it was not made aware of any of those three incidents.

Julian Blake KC, counsel to the inquiry, told Eleanor Turner, head of mental health advisory services at the university: "Standing back for a moment it's nothing short of astonishing that in September 2021 the university were not aware of him attacking a police officer and being admitted and detained.

"But when we see references or comments about VC [Valdo Calocane] by his tutors it's difficult standing back not to think they were just in the dark about who he was engaging with."

Turner said: "I think we were all in the dark."

The inquiry also heard Calocane had expressed to doctors he was experiencing study-related stresses that were contributing to his mental health - but the university was not informed.

Thompson said there had been "a missed opportunity" that came as a result of not sharing information, partly by the NHS, partly by police.

"A missed opportunity to say what the consequences might have been further down the line," she said.

Thompson added working in mental health was a "complex area".

She said: "I feel quite irritated that there's a suggestion that we didn't do enough and then there's a suggestion we are just a university. I just find that very offensive in all honestly.

"It's offensive and contradictory and that's not how we work."

The inquiry also heard, despite her involvement with Calocane during his years as a student, Thompson became a "close point of contact" for the Webber and O'Malley-Kumar families.

Thompson remained a support to the families on behalf of the university on the anniversary of the attacks and the posthumous graduations of Barnaby and Grace.

Angela Patrick KC, representing the bereaved families, told Thompson: "Now the families first learned about your involvement in the management of VC's risk only through the disclosure to the inquiry.

"You didn't tell them anything about your involvement with the challenges VC presented did you?"

"We couldn't," Thompson replied.

The former wellbeing director added the ongoing criminal investigation at the time limited what they could disclose to the families.

She added: "To be fair we were managing a very difficult unfolding situation ourselves at the time, so I think that's a decision that would have to be made by others and by more senior than myself."

However, the inquiry heard no conversations were had about Thompson's suitability as a point of contact to the families.

She said: "My involvement at the time of this case was very, very minimal and the absolute priority was to provide support to people at a really difficult time.

"All the support I provided was from a place of deep compassion and care.

"I feel desperately sad but it was absolutely the most heartfelt support I have ever provided ever and, you know, I'm sad that it's not helping now but I hope it helped at the time."

The inquiry continues.

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