Families expect inquiry confirmation in PM meeting

The families of the victims of the Nottingham attacks have said their meeting with the prime minister is a "watershed moment" in their call for a statutory public inquiry.

Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber, said she expected an inquiry to be confirmed during the meeting at Downing Street on Wednesday and for it to begin later this year.

Valdo Calocane killed 19-year-old students Mr Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates before attempting to kill three other people in a spate of attacks in the city in June 2023.

Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder.

The victims' families will meet Sir Keir Starmer, the home secretary, the health secretary and the attorney general in Wednesday's meeting.

Mrs Webber said the families "recognise the gravity and importance of their meeting".

"From [the meeting] they expect to receive confirmation that the promised public inquiry will be a statutory one," she said.

"That a suitable start date within 2025 is set and terms to be agreed for who will lead it and how it will be led.

"It must have the teeth it needs to ensure full transparency and compel agencies and individuals involved to take the stand and tell the truth.

"It must be a watershed moment for this case, for public safety and for the health service and criminal justice system."

Their scheduled meeting with the PM follows the publication of a highly-critical report commissioned by NHS England into the care and treatment received by Calocane in the build-up to the attacks, which found numerous failings that exposed serious issues in the healthcare system.

Downing Street previously said the PM was committed to a judge-led inquiry and has not ruled out a public inquiry with full statutory powers.

"It has been a long and traumatic fight to reach this point," Mrs Webber added.

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