A public inquiry is continuing to hear evidence into the killings of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates on 13 June 2023 in Nottingham by Valdo Calocane
The Nottingham Inquiry is told of Calocane's attempts to prise open the window of a hostel on the day of the killings
Earlier we heard that a husband and wife were attacked at a warehouse where Calocane worked, weeks before his deadly attacks
The man was punched in the face by an "irate" Calocane, while his wife sustained a leg injury when she was pushed over, the inquiry hears
Triple killer Calocane had been viewing footage of a terrorist attack at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo in the US, the inquiry is told, as well as filming officers on the street from an upstairs window
PC Sarah Barnes, of Nottinghamshire Police, told the inquiry a misspelling on a police log - which incorrectly called him "Calcocane" - meant other warnings about the killer did not show
That concludes our live reporting of the ongoing inquiry into the killings of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates on 13 June 2023 in Nottingham by Valdo Calocane.
You can read our full report into today's evidence here.
Valdo Calocane tried to break into a hostel for men with addictions in the early hours of 13 June 2023 - the day he killed three people and seriously injured three others.
Ivan, a worker who was often the only employee at the site, said he was used to trying to deescalate situations.
Calocane was caught on CCTV trying to prise open a window to the hostel.
He was asked to leave and return later that morning if he wanted help.
He then tried to climb through an open window but was punched by a resident and left.
Image source, Other
Image source, GoogleCCTV then showed Calocane leaving Seely Hirst House and walking off along Mapperley Road.
But he returned a few minutes later, where he was seen on camera banging on a window and then leaving again.
The evidence for today has now concluded.
The inquiry is told Calocane was punched by a resident while being denied entry to the hostel in the early hours of 13 June 2023.
Ivan said, via his interpreter: "I saw the fist. He punched him.
"At that point I was already inside. When he closed the window, the incident was closed for me too."
Police were not called.
After the main door and windows were closed, Ivan went to his office at the rear exit, which was used by the residents.
Ivan said he did not think of calling the police.
"In my experience, I have to deescalate the situation because police wouldn't come in a minute or two or even three," he said. "I have to calm the thing down."
Ivan told Calocane to leave the garden.
Calocane began to walk away from Ivan, but noticed another window near the other unused door was open, and the CCTV shows him approaching the opening.
Ivan called to the resident to close the window "more than once", he said.
CCTV shows the window being slammed shut in front of Calocane.
Calocane "asked what sort of building it was", Ivan said.
He told him it was a hostel, reporting some confusion over if it was a hospital or a hostel.
"If you need help come back at 9am," he told Calocane, when the social workers would be on site.
His interpreter added: "I tried to approach his heart. I offered him help. He leant against the railings and was looking into my face with an intense look.
"No blinking, no smiling, he didn't seem nervous at all."
After footage showed a man on the street, the angle has switched to another, titled "left alley" at the front of the hostel now.
A man matching Valdo Calocane's description is seen with a bag, attempting to loosen a window on the front with his fingertips.
Ivan is then shown having a conversation with the man a minute later.
He told the inquiry he saw the man on CCTV and went outside.
He said via his interpreter: "I spotted this person who was trying to open the window and I, as a person who often deals with trespassers who are not residents, I assumed it was someone in need of help, a homeless person looking for somewhere to sleep."
He thought it could also be a drug dealer, or a friend of a resident.
Image source, OtherFootage from 13 June 2023, the day of Valdo Calocane's killings in Nottingham, was caught on CCTV and is being played to the inquiry.
It shows a white door of the hostel facing on to Mapperley Road, and white railings leading towards a black gate on to the street.
Ivan said the door was not used, and the main entrance to the building was just out of shot directly opposite the gate.
Dr Sinead O'Malley-Kumar, mother of Grace, has left the room as the CCTV footage from the date of the attacks is shown.
Ivan said he would try to become familiar with the residents, "especially if there is someone new” and assess their behaviour.
It would help him recognise if people were likely to become abusive.
Ivan said, via his interpreter, that he collected keys from reception and cleaned rooms out when people left, bagging any belongings they left behind to be stored for two weeks, but did not interfere or manage the residents.
"I have some interactions with them, given that most of the time I would be there by myself," Ivan said.
He said he had previously called ambulances to the hostel, but not the police.
A Slovakian interpreter has been sworn in to aid the next witness, Ivan.
Ivan was working at a 52-room hostel, Seely Hirst House in Nottingham, at the time of the Nottingham attacks on 13 June 2023.
He told the inquiry that most people who reside there have addictions to drugs or alcohol.
Reflecting on the warehouse incident, Matthew added: "I think it was shocking for everybody to be honest.
"When I spoke to people after, it seemed like a random attack to be honest.
"I assume something must have triggered it but what that was I have no clue."
We are taking a break now.
Emails detailing Arvato's response to the incident have been relayed to the inquiry.
It explained to members of the firm's management and the agency that supplied Calocane that police had taken statements from the victims.
Others showed that Calocane would be removed from its systems and not allowed to return to Arvato.
"We honestly can't believe this has happened and we're truly sorry," it said.
Matthew added he did not feel the incident had been "trivialised" by the firm or its response.
Another incident was included in exchanges, in which Calocane had been rocking a vending machine earlier that week, but no damage was done and no items taken.
Matthew told the inquiry that after police arrived on the scene, he escorted officers over to the area where the assault took place.
He said he mentioned to the officers that he was told a knife was present, and had been kicked under a conveyor belt.
"The only other thing I mentioned to police on the way up is that I actually thought he was, I felt like he had some kind of mental illness to be honest, or he was mentally unstable," he said.
Matthew added he was not sure of his exact wording at the time.
He said he found the incident "very unusual" due to Valdo Calocane's response at the time.
Calocane did not seek to defend his actions, Matthew said.
Matthew also felt Calocane was "almost looking through" him when he intervened.
He said Calocane was "pacing back and forth" after assaulting the workers.
Kevin, who had made the call to police, and Matthew escorted VC when he decided to walk off the site.
"I'd already asked him to leave and told him it was unacceptable," said Matthew. "He wasn't really saying anything, he was just pacing, but as soon as he realised that we were on phone to the police, he started turning around and walking towards the exit.
"I can only assume he knew he'd done something wrong and the police are coming."
Matthew told the inquiry he kept a few paces away from Calocane as he left, asking him to sign out on the way.
He added: "Normally we'd search people on the way out but because of how weird the whole situation felt, I told security 'don't search him, let's just get him off site'."
Matthew said the first he was aware of the incident in the warehouse was when he "heard a scream".
He said: "The training co-ordinator turned around to me and shouted me to say there was a fight in the warehouse.
"I looked up and saw some commotion."
Matthew intervened between Calocane - named throughout the inquiry as VC - and other members of staff.
"I jumped in between the training coordinator and VC so she could attend to the victims," he said.
"Straight away he was pacing, left and right. I asked him what’s happened, why have you attacked these people?
"All he did say was he was pushed and that was probably as much as he said.
"He told me he was looking for his glasses, I don't remember if he did or not [wear glasses]."
We are now hearing from a witness known only as Matthew, who was an operations manager at the time of the incident on 5 May 2023.
The day before, he said he had seen Valdo Calocane walk into his department and look at the stock.
"To be honest I don't think he'd actually seen me behind the desk.
"I looked over to him because he wasn't one of my staff members. He looked at me and, to be fair, he just kind of looked at me, turned around and headed to his department," Matthew said.
He added although it was "maybe a little bit strange", staff did often have a look at the stock, which he said was made up of "hi-tech items".
Image source, GoogleThe assaults affected staff at Arvato, Volodimir added.
"It was very unusual to our work environment," he said.
"Everyone was scared in that moment when it was happening, how he [Calocane] was reacting. Even he pushed the female, which is not the right thing."
His evidence has now come to an end.
Volodimir ran "screaming to stop" towards the incident, he said, but saw the "Stanley-type" knife in the aftermath of the assaults.
"I don't remember if he was trying to take the knife or if it was next to him. I just kicked out that knife and that's it," he said.
He added the knife felt heavier than the other plastic knives also used in the warehouse.
Volodimir said Calocane looked "very wide, like he was going to the gym" and looked "very strong".
