THE NHS trust that discharged twisted triple killer Valdo Calocane despite his history of violence is facing a manslaughter probe.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is under investigation after releasing the paranoid schizophrenic into the community before he stabbed three innocent people to death in June 2023.
Detectives from Northumbria Police will lead the inquiry as Nottinghamshire Police are themselves implicated in failings, The Times reported.
If prosecutors bring charges, it would be the first time an NHS trust has faced prosecution over failings before a violent patient was released.
Calocane, 34, murdered university students Grace O’Malley-Kumar, 19, and Barnaby Webber, 19, along with school caretaker Ian Coates, 65.
He also tried to kill three pedestrians by driving a van into them, leaving them seriously injured.
Both Barnaby and Grace were making their way home to student accommodation from a nightclub on the morning they died.
The teens were said to be just five minutes from home when the horror unfolded.
Grace was an up-and-coming England hockey star, and had risen up the ranks through London’s Southgate Hockey Club.
Barnaby’s mother Emma Webber welcomed the police investigation, saying it signifies “the beginning of the reckoning”.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, Mrs Webber said: “The news that Nottinghamshire Mental Health Trust is being investigated for corporate manslaughter is an unprecedented move that will send much-needed shockwaves across our public services, and in particular the NHS.
“This has to be the line in the sand – when those who fail, neglect and cover up, from the leaders at the top down, are fully held to account and made to recognise their failures.”
She added: “This statement today brings us no joy, but it does signify the beginning of the reckoning – in Barney’s memory, in Grace’s memory and in Ian’s memory, and for the protection of those in the future who could face another Valdo Calocane.
“We now ask that, for the first time, all of those involved who will be required to participate do so with full candour and transparency.”
Calocane is serving an indefinite hospital order after prosecutors accepted his guilty pleas to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Before the attacks, he had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act four times and repeatedly became violent after refusing to take his medication.
Despite that history, he was repeatedly released and was discharged by the trust in September 2022 after failing to engage with treatment.
Trust bosses have reportedly been ordered to preserve all records linked to the attacks and have pledged to cooperate with the investigation.
Organisations found guilty of corporate manslaughter can receive unlimited fines.
NHS trusts have previously faced the charge twice, but both were cleared.
Between 2011 and 2024, there were 43 concluded corporate manslaughter prosecutions, with 32 ending in convictions.
Every successful prosecution involved a small business or organisation.
To secure a conviction, prosecutors must prove that a serious organisational failing directly caused a death.
Senior staff cannot be held responsible for mistakes made solely by junior employees.
A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “Northumbria Police, acting on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police, have begun an investigation into matters relating to the care and treatment of Valdo Calocane.
“We know how important the independent inquiry and police investigation are for the affected families, the survivors and our local communities.
“We will, of course, be cooperating fully with Northumbria Police, as we have with the Statutory Inquiry into these matters which is being chaired by Her Honour Deborah Taylor and which will hear final submissions from all the parties involved later this year.”
Josh Hughes, a partner and head of complex injury at law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, said the consequences of any prosecution could be far- reaching.
He said: “The wider ramifications for the delivery of mental health services in this country would be profound.
“Corporate manslaughter involves an exceptionally high threshold focused on systemic governance, rather than individual clinician fault.”
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: “Our thoughts are very much with the victims, their families and all those impacted by the tragic events in Nottingham in June 2023.
“We can confirm we are subsequently carrying out an investigation on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police.
“We are in contact with the victims’ families and survivors and are committed to supporting them throughout this process.
“It would not be appropriate for us to comment any further.”
