A public inquiry examining the Nottingham attacks is set to receive testimony from additional mental health specialists as proceedings enter their eighth week. Valdo Calocane, who has been identified as having paranoid schizophrenia, killed Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates with a knife on June 13, 2023. He subsequently attempted to murder three additional individuals using a van he had stolen from Mr Coates. The Nottingham Inquiry has been taking place in London since late February, reviewing failures in both the period leading up to and during Calocane’s attack. The probe has already uncovered deficiencies involving police forces, the NHS and regulatory bodies. The investigation is headed by retired judge Her Honour Deborah Taylor. On Monday, April 20, two mental health professionals, Professor John Morgan and Dr Seena Fazel, are scheduled to testify. Neither provided direct treatment to Calocane, who is designated as VC throughout the hearings, though they can provide expert perspectives on situations his caregivers may have encountered. Multiple mental health practitioners who treated Calocane are expected to give evidence later this week, including the initial team that evaluated him in 2020 and a physician who previously cautioned that he could “end up killing someone.” Last week, the inquiry received significant testimony concerning the prosecution of Calocane, although family members expressed disappointment that a major concern they brought to the inquiry remains unresolved—psychiatrists’ failure to assess the killer’s mental state on the day of the offenses. The inquiry was also informed that Nottinghamshire Police has consented to investigate all officers who may have improperly accessed CCTV footage connected to the attacks.
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