A medical professional who reportedly prevented authorities from obtaining Valdo Calocane’s health records citing patient confidentiality rules is scheduled to testify at the Nottingham Inquiry on Tuesday (April 28). Dr Ben Lomas was part of the clinical team that attempted to have the future triple killer detained under mental health legislation on September 3, 2021 – less than 24 months before he murdered three individuals and wounded three more in Nottingham on June 13, 2023. He declined to depart alongside the mental health staff and officers who were present. When police subsequently entered Calocane’s residence on Salisbury Street, he ferociously confronted them, assaulting PC Barnaby Pritchard after unsettlingly removing his glasses. The individual, who had paranoid schizophrenia, was subjected to pepper spray and two Taser deployments to halt his attack, incidents captured on officers’ body cameras. He received a mental health evaluation that same day, conducted by Dr Lomas, Dr Omar Manzar, and Approved Mental Health Professional Amy Staples. The inquiry has previously heard testimony from Police Sergeant Louise Ellis, who oversaw the officers assisting medical personnel, stating she experienced challenges obtaining details about Calocane’s mental state from Dr Lomas subsequent to the assault on her colleague due to patient confidentiality constraints. Dr Lomas additionally participated in Calocane’s detention under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act rather than Section 3 in early 2022, a matter that drew criticism during Monday’s proceedings. Dr Lomas from Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust will provide testimony on Tuesday, April 28, alongside Dr Bilal Burr, also employed by the same NHS trust. Calocane attended multiple appointments with Dr Burr, who served as a specialty trainee with the trust’s early intervention in psychosis team from September 2020 through March 2021. Live updates from the Nottingham Inquiry hearing room will be provided.
This is a digital representation, not a photograph.
