Summary

Media caption,

Triple killer questioned by police outside MI5

  1. What happens after the Nottingham Inquiry?published at 16:54 GMT

    The inquiry is scheduled to continue hearing evidence for a total of nine weeks.

    Once evidence is completed, the chair, retired judge Deborah Taylor KC, will have until May 2027 to complete a final report and make recommendations to help prevent events, like the 2023 attacks, from happening again.

    Those recommendations will not be legally binding, but statutory inquiries can be powerful ways to bring about change to organisations.

  2. Recap: What have we heard today?published at 16:49 GMT

    During the seventh day of evidence in London, the inquiry heard from a former flatmate of Calocane's, who was once attacked by the triple killer.

    Known only as Sebastian, the man said that he lived with Calocane between 2019 and 2020, and then again in 2021.

    He said Calocane was "fairly quiet" but, in July 2021, Calocane grabbed him and pushed him against a wall.

    "Then, he grabbed hold of my shirt and my arm and pushed me against the wall and said some confusing words," Sebastian told the inquiry.

    "Then he basically said someone would contact me and that if they contacted me, I should tell them that VC would find them."

    Sebastian moved out, but, after bumping into Calocane at his new gym, he said he was followed home on a number of occasions.

    He told police he was "frightened" for what Calocane might do to him.

    Two police carsImage source, Nottinghamshire Police

    Earlier on Tuesday, the inquiry heard from PC Graham Foster, from the Met Police, who responded to calls that Calocane had visited the MI5 headquarters in Westminster on 31 May 2021.

    Calocane rang a bell to try and gain entry twice, but was refused.

    The triple killer told Foster he wanted to speak to someone, but would not disclose what he wanted to talk about to officers before leaving the area in an Uber.

    The inquiry also heard from Supt Lorraine Busby-McVey, from the Met Police, who works within the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) - a specialist unit that manages threats posed to public figures and protected sites by "fixated, lone individuals".

    She said Calocane was "looked at", but did not meet the threshold for the FTAC criteria.

  3. Proceedings for the day come to an endpublished at 16:37 GMT

    Today's hearing has ended, with evidence set to continue at Mary Ward House in London on Wednesday.

  4. Flatmate 'thought Calocane could have been Nottingham attacks killer'published at 16:35 GMT

    Sebastian has told the inquiry that, when he first heard about the attacks on 13 June 2023, he thought Valdo Calocane could have been the perpetrator.

    However, he said he was not told that it was Calocane through any official source - despite his and Calocane's names being linked through his reports to the police.

    "I think someone told me eventually that it was him," he said.

    "I got it from a text message in the end."

  5. Ex-flatmate 'frightened' of what Valdo Calocane might dopublished at 16:30 GMT

    After being followed home at least twice, Sebastian told the police that he was "frightened" of what could happen.

    He said he could only presume that Valdo Calocane was following him to find out where he lived so that he could do "not pleasant things".

    "I don't know what other reason there would be for them to find out where I live," he said.

  6. Sebastian told incidents 'should be classed as stalking'published at 16:27 GMT

    After the second time Sebastian said he was being followed home by Calocane, he reported it to Nottinghamshire Police.

    During the call, Sebastian relayed the previous interactions with Calocane, including being grabbed and held against the wall.

    When asked by the call handler if it made him feel frightened, Sebastian said "yes".

    At the end of the call, played to the inquiry, Sebastian was told nobody would be sent immediately, but it was marked for officers to contact him.

    He said an investigating officer called back a few days later.

    "I don't remember the full conversation but, essentially, because it is now a repeat occasion, that I was followed home, it should be classified as stalking and she fairly firmly said it was time to talk to VC," he added.

    "So she asked for permission if she should talk to him, which I gave."

  7. Inquiry told Calocane followed ex-flatmate home from gym 'multiple times'published at 16:09 GMT

    The inquiry is now hearing how Valdo Calocane followed Sebastian home from the gym on a number of occasions in 2021.

    On 26 April, Sebastian said he walked home from the gym past a park, noticing a man sitting on a bench.

    He said he "thought it might be Calocane", but could not tell as the person had their hood up.

    "I continued to walk home but I turned around frequently and saw the person sitting at the bench was following me," he said.

    Sebastian said he went home after making sure Calocane was not following him any more, and later went again to the Radofrd Road Police Station to report the incident.

    However, on 28 June, he said he was again followed home.

    Sebastian checked his shoulder as he walked home, noticing that he was being followed.

    He said he went into a different entrance to his apartment block to pick up some post, and when he left the building, Calocane was standing about two metres away from him.

  8. Former flatmate encountered Valdo Calocane at gym after moving outpublished at 16:02 GMT

    Later in 2022, Sebastian went to his local gym, where he was surprised to see Valdo Calocane.

    He told the inquiry he had never seen Calocane at the gym that early before - between 06:00 and 07:00.

    "I sat down to do the exercise and then realised who I sat down next to," he said.

    Sebastian said Calocane "couldn't have known" which gym he was going to after he had moved out of their previous shared accommodation, as he had changed the gym he regularly attended.

    The pair got into a conversation, during which Calocane was "friendly".

    Sebastian said: "Just normal chit-chat really. He did mention that he tried to call me at one point."

    Calocane then urged Sebastian to accept a Facebook friend request, which he did.

    "I just wanted to get the conversation over with, which I thought I would do by accepting the friend request, and then the plan was to block him again straight after, which I possibly did," Sebastian said.

  9. Ex-flatmate 'very surprised' police did not respond to messagepublished at 15:54 GMT

    Following the incident on 14 July 2021, Sebastian texted the police officer who had dealt with his previous complaint.

    He told her that Calocane had tried to enter his room and asked if he should make another report to the police.

    He said he was "very surprised" to not get a reply.

    "It was very weird I did not get an answer," he added.

    Sebastian said he moved out of the flat with the help of friends in August 2021, but continued to get phone calls from Calocane.

    He said he blocked Calocane's number, but received a call from a different number in December and in one call, heard Calocane repeating his name down the phone, before hanging up.

    Sebastian said he blocked the second number, as well as blocking Calocane on Facebook and LinkedIn.

  10. Valdo Calocane tried to enter flatmate's room while he slept, inquiry hearspublished at 15:47 GMT

    During a second incident on 14 July 2021, Sebastian told the inquiry Calocane tried to enter his room in the early hours.

    He said: "I was asleep but I heard that someone walked up the stairs to my room, and there is nothing else other than my room at the top of the stairs.

    "The walls are not very thick. I could clearly hear someone walk up and try to open my door using the handle."

    Sebastian said had installed a lock on the door following the previous incident a week earlier.

    After he heard the person move back down the stairs, Sebastian said his "adrenaline was high" and he eventually called a friend.

    Sebastian then arranged to move out, leaving shortly after that incident, and returned to collect the rest of his things with the help of friends.

    "VC was kind of entering rooms at random hours without permission, and attacked me before, so I thought it was rather dangerous to stay," he said.

  11. Flatmate locked bedroom door after 'violent' incidentpublished at 15:37 GMT

    Continuing his evidence, Sebastian said he went to Radford Road Police Station to speak to an officer.

    He said the officer told him the incident sounded like it was caused by mental health or drugs.

    Sebastian again said he did not want them to talk to Calocane, due to being concerned over the situation getting worse.

    He said that the officer told him they would file a report, which would be flagged to whichever agency was dealing with him.

    The student said the officer did not specify which agency, but presumed it was mental health assistance.

    He said he did not remember receiving "any advice that was not obvious", but ended up locking his bedroom door after the incident.

    "I know he is aggressive and that he could harm me again out of nowhere," Sebastian said.

    "I just wanted to make sure it did not happen again."

  12. 'If he does it again, then fight back'published at 15:26 GMT

    Sebastian said after the interaction, he reported it to his supervisor at the University of Nottingham.

    He said the supervisor "wasn't very helpful", and told him "if he does it again then fight back".

    Following the conversation, he called 101 to report the incident to Nottinghamshire Police.

    During the call, which was played to the inquiry, Sebastian told the police about the "violent" incident.

    He said Calocane grabbed him and pushed him against a wall.

    He told the force he was "a bit hesitant" about an officer coming around to his flat, as he did not want it "getting any worse".

    Sebastian said he was uninjured, but added it was an "unpleasant" experience and suggested that Calocane "might have some mental health issues".

  13. 'He grabbed me and said someone would contact me'published at 15:19 GMT

    Sebastian is now describing being "grabbed" by Calocane - referred to in the inquiry as VC - in July 2021 after returning home.

    "When I entered the flat, VC came out of his room which was opposite the flat front door, and he was walking with me, and he took the box [I was carrying] from me as if he was helping me put it down," he said.

    "Then he grabbed hold of my shirt and my arm and pushed me against the wall and said some confusing words.

    "Then he basically said someone would contact me and that if they contacted me, I should tell them that VC would find them."

    Sebastian said Calocane appeared "quite angry" and "quite serious".

    However, after acknowledging what Calocane had said, Calocane said "good man" and went back to his room.

    "It sounded like he was in trouble and trying to fix it, if that makes sense," Sebastian told the inquiry.

  14. Valdo Calocane asked 'odd' question, inquiry toldpublished at 15:12 GMT

    Sebastian said he would routinely leave the flat at about 06:00 to go to the gym.

    On one morning, when he returned, Calocane followed him into the kitchen, and asked him if there was someone else in the flat when he left earlier that morning.

    "It was a bit of an odd question," he said.

    "I couldn't understand why he thought there might have been someone in the flat.

    "I was confused, but dismissed it pretty quickly."

  15. Flatmate recalls visit by healthcare workerspublished at 15:10 GMT

    Sebastian recalled two occasions when Valdo Calocane was visited by healthcare workers.

    "I think one occasion was in lockdown, but I can't remember which one," he said.

    "I didn't know anything but I guess I overheard a conversation at one point where they asked him whether he was eating right, and things healthcare workers would ask."

    Rachel Langdale KC, counsel to the inquiry, asked Sebastian if he thought Calocane had any issues with his mental health.

    "I don't know. It wasn't obvious to me," he replied.

  16. Nottingham triple killer was 'fairly quiet', ex-flatmate sayspublished at 15:07 GMT

    Sebastian has told the inquiry that he moved into a shared flat with Calocane and another person in Nottingham in September 2019.

    He said none of the three knew each other, and would spend time together socially.

    "He [Calocane] was fairly quiet," he said. "We didn't speak much.

    "I think we acknowledged each other. It was pretty normal I would say."

    When asked if they kept the flat clean, Sebastian said it was "typical student accommodation".

  17. Valdo Calocane's former flatmate now giving evidencepublished at 14:56 GMT

    A former flatmate of Valdo Calocane, known only as Sebastian, is now giving evidence to the inquiry.

    We heard earlier in the inquiry that Sebastian lived with Calocane for a period between 2019 and 2020, and then again in 2021.

  18. Who is Valdo Calocane?published at 14:48 GMT

    We now know Valdo Calocane as the man responsible for killing three people in Nottingham on 13 June 2023.

    But, what else do we know about perpetrator of the Nottingham attacks?

    Calocane, who referred to himself as Adam Mendes, was born in Guinea-Bissau on 4 September 1991.

    His family moved to Portugal when he was three, before coming to the UK in 2007 when he was 16 years old.

    The triple killer completed a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham, graduating in June 2022, when he was aged 30.

    During his sentencing, defence barrister Peter Joyce KC said Calocane's early life had been "uneventful" until his mental health issues started in 2019.

    A court sketch of Valdo CalocaneImage source, Helen Tipper
  19. Inquiry hoping to find 'key themes'published at 14:33 GMT

    As the inquiry continues, it is worth remembering what this public inquiry is hoping to achieve.

    Led by retired senior judge Her Honour Deborah Taylor (pictured), the review will examine the attacks, including hearing the concerns of survivors and bereaved families.

    Speaking on the opening day of the hearings last Monday, Rachel Langdale KC, counsel to the inquiry, suggested that "key themes" be identified, providing a "baseline critique upon which we will build".

    Judge Deborah TaylorImage source, PA Media

    Meanwhile, the victims' families have described it as "a test of whether this country is prepared to confront failure and fix it".

    "For years we have heard apologies. We have seen reviews, we have read reports, but apologies do not keep the public safe - change does," they said in a statement.

    "We are not here for sympathy, we are here for safeguards, not reflection, not regret. Reform.

    "That is the legacy Barnaby, Grace and Ian deserve, and that is what public safety now demands."

    Once all evidence has been heard, the chair will have to provide a final report and make recommendations by May 2027.

  20. 'Absence of information' about MI5 visitpublished at 14:23 GMT

    The inquiry has heard that FTAC - a specialist unit that manages threats posed to public figures and protected sites by "fixated, lone individuals" - could have looked at Valdo Calocane's medical records, but it did not.

    Supt Busby-McVey, of the FTAC, told the inquiry the department - which looked into Calocane after he visited the MI5 headquarters on 31 May 2021 asking to be arrested - had a "very narrow remit".

    Tim Moloney KC, representing the bereaved families, asked: "Could an FTAC assessor access medical records if they thought it was necessary it order to make an appropriate assessment?"

    "For that, I would say yes," Busby-McVey said.

    Sophie Cartwright KC, representing the survivors of the Nottingham attacks, is asking why Calocane was not asked why he had attended Thames House asking to be arrested.

    She said: "There's an absence of relevant information by not asking the question, would you agree?"

    "Yes," Busby-McVey replied.