Families of the three individuals killed during the 2023 Nottingham stabbings were not notified that a separate mentally ill man had been stalking them. Nottinghamshire Police have since referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following claims that the force withheld critical safety information.
From a Somerset home to a GP surgery: The stalker's trail
An unnamed suspect, who had absconded from a psychiatric hospital, reportedly developed an obsession with the 2023 attacks. According to the report, this individual travelled to the family home of Barnaby Webber in Somerset and visited the GP surgery where Dr. Sanjoy Kumar, the father of victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar , was employed.
Despite these targeted visits, Nottinghamshire Police did not alert the grieving families to the threat. The report indicates that officers downplayed the risk posed by the stalker because the individual was allegedly attempting to provide help to the families. This lack of communication left the victims' relatives unaware that their privatte residences and professional spaces had been compromised.
The August 24 referral to the IOPC
Nottinghamshire Police officially referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on August 24 after receiving a formal complaint. The IOPC is currently assessing the referral to determine if further disciplinary or legal action is required,acknowledging that the families should have been informed when a potential witness was first interviewed.
The timeline of the failure is particularly contentious. as reported, information regarding the stalker was withheld for several months while Nottinghamshire Police officials conducted interrnal discussions, prepared profiles, and consulted with legal counsel. This internal process took precedence over the immediate safeguarding of the families involved.
A pattern of failure echoing Valdo Calocane's release
This latest controversy arrives while Nottinghamshire Police are already under scrutiny for their handling of Valdo Calocane, the man responsible for the 2023 killings. Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic born in Guinea-Bissau, had been sectioned four times and had a known history of violence, yet he remained free in the community despite an outstanding warrant for his arrest at the time of the attacks.
Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber,has highlighted the "troubling parallels" between the mismanagement of Calocane and the failure to warn families about the subsequent stalker. the recurring theme is a systemic failure by Nottinghamshire Police to act on known psychiatric risks, which in both instances left members of the public vulnerable to individuals with severe mental health crises.
The Prevent programme and the missing safeguarding advice
Specific details regarding the stalker's background have raised further alarms, including reported links to the Prevent programme, a government initiative designed to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Emma Webber stated that her family received no warning or safeguarding advice, leaving her surviving son, Charlie, and his school without necessary protective measures.
Several critical questions remain unanswered. It is currently unclear why Nottinghamshire Police deemed the stalker's behavior as "helpful" rather than threatening, and the report does not specify the exact nature of the suspect's links to the Prevent programme. Furthermore, the IOPC has not yet clarified why information gathered in January 2025 was initially assessed as not relevant to the ongoing inquiries into the force's interactions with Valdo Calocane.
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