Nottingham killer watched shooting videos online, inquiry hears

Triple killer Valdo Calocane had watched videos of shootings online, a public inquiry into the Nottingham attacks has heard.

Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, fatally stabbed Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley Kumar, and seriously injured three others in June 2023.

On Monday, the judge-led inquiry - which will examine what happened, the events and actions that led to them, and Calocane's care and monitoring - heard analysis of his phone found he had watched videos of a shooting in Buffalo, New York, and one of the New Zealand massacre.

Outlining the case, Rachel Langdale KC said he had also viewed content relating to law and police powers.

Langdale said records showed Calocane also appeared to have viewed a report about the mass shootings at Dunblane Primary School, which happened in Scotland in 1996.

Calocane, who had suffered with paranoid delusions and symptoms of psychosis, had also researched "mind control technology".

The inquiry heard how Calocane had stated he had been "hearing voices in his head" on numerous occasions to mental health professionals from 2020.

Calocane is serving a hospital order after pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and three counts of attempted murder.

He had previously been under the care of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and had been known to the police before he carried out the attacks.

There have been a number of reviews since Calocane's sentencing, including a mental health homicide review commissioned by NHS England.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer agreed to the inquiry last year, after lobbying from the survivors and bereaved families.

Chaired by senior retired judge Deborah Taylor, it began in February last year and aims to report back within two years.

Speaking on Monday, the victims' families said the inquiry would be a "test of whether this country is prepared to confront failure and fix it".

The inquiry heard details of Calocane's earlier attacks on others, including colleagues and a police officer, and how a warrant for his arrest had been handled.

He had been summonsed to attend Nottingham Magistrates' Court in September 2022 - at a time he was in hospital - over the assault of a police officer.

Due to his failure to attend, a warrant was issued for his arrest and flagged to an officer who was handling the case.

However, the warrant came through the computer system as "a low priority", the hearing heard.

Langdale said: "Chair, you will no doubt want to consider in due course whether this was a significant opportunity missed, whether there are failures in the process by which warrants are acted upon by the police, and what improvements can be made.

"Temporary deputy chief constable Rob Griffin will address this in oral evidence - he has described it as 'a serious systemic operational failure on the part of Nottinghamshire Police'."

Griffin and a number of police personnel are among more than 100 witnesses expected to give evidence over nine weeks.