Nottingham Inquiry Hears Killer's Mother Describe Mental Health System as 'So Broken'

The mother of Nottingham attacker Valdo Calocane told a public inquiry that the mental health system meant to care for her son was "so broken" and left her family to navigate services alone, according to BBC News. Celeste Calocane said she warned in August 2020 that her son posed a risk to other people, nearly three years before the 13 June 2023 attacks that killed three people in Nottingham, BBC News reported.

The Details

Celeste Calocane gave evidence to the Nottingham Inquiry as it examines what happened before the June 2023 attacks and what changes might prevent similar events, according to the inquiry website. In her testimony, reported by BBC News, she said families should not be left fearing that a loved one could harm themselves or others while trying to secure help from mental health services.

"The system is so broken. No-one should have to go to bed thinking I'm going to have a phone call tomorrow that something happened to my loved one," Celeste Calocane told the inquiry, according to BBC News. She also said, "When it gets to crisis, it's too late," describing what she said was a pattern of delayed intervention by services, BBC News reported.

BBC News reported that Valdo Calocane was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020 and was sectioned four times between May 2020 and January 2022. The same report said Celeste Calocane warned in August 2020 that her son posed a risk to other people, a point that has become central to the inquiry's review of how agencies responded before the attacks.

The inquiry also heard that information-sharing with Celeste Calocane ended after her son withdrew consent in December 2021, according to BBC News. She said she later learned through medical records that he had been discharged, leaving her with limited visibility into decisions about his care, BBC News reported.

Earlier in the week, the inquiry heard from a general practitioner who said Calocane's serious mental illness was effectively left unmanaged and untreated after he was discharged from specialist mental health services in September 2022, according to BBC News. Asked whether he should not have been discharged to primary care because he was not engaging with treatment, Dr Tim Baker replied, "Yes, that is my view," BBC News reported.

The family's evidence has unfolded over multiple days of hearings. BBC News reported that the previous day, Elias Calocane told the inquiry he felt powerless and feared his brother would take his own life, adding to the account of repeated but fragmented contact between the family and mental health services. Together, the testimony has outlined a family that said it tried repeatedly to raise alarms before the attacks.

Context

The Nottingham Inquiry says it is examining what happened, when and why before the 13 June 2023 attacks, and what changes could prevent similar events in future, according to its website. Public hearings began in February 2026 and are reviewing decisions by health services, police and other agencies in the run-up to the attacks, the inquiry says.

According to the inquiry website, Valdo Calocane killed Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates in Nottingham on 13 June 2023 and injured three other people. The current hearings have focused in part on the mental health care he received before the attacks, with BBC News reporting evidence from both relatives and medical professionals.

BBC News reported that Celeste Calocane's evidence followed testimony from her son Elias and from Dr Tim Baker. That sequence has added detail to the inquiry's review of how warnings were communicated, how treatment decisions were made and what happened after specialist care ended, according to the broadcaster's coverage of the hearings.

What's Next

The inquiry is continuing to hear evidence as it examines the decisions and events that preceded the June 2023 attacks, according to the Nottingham Inquiry website. Its stated aim is to establish what happened and identify changes that could reduce the risk of similar events in future.

Further evidence is expected as the inquiry continues reviewing the roles of health services, police and inter-agency coordination, according to the inquiry website. BBC News' recent coverage shows the hearings are building a record from family members and professionals involved in Calocane's care before the attacks.