Brother Feared Valdo Calocane Might Take His Own Life
The brother of Valdo Calocane, the perpetrator of the Nottingham attacks, stated during a public inquiry that he feared Calocane would take his own life.
Calocane, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, fatally stabbed Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates in Nottingham on 13 June 2023.
Messages Indicating Violent Thoughts
His younger brother, Elias Calocane, received several messages from Valdo in 2020, prior to his first hospital admission, which expressed thoughts of violence and included the phrase "red rum"—a reference to murder spelled backwards.
During the inquiry on Wednesday, Elias explained that he believed these messages were indicative of his brother's intent to harm himself rather than others. He described feeling "powerless" regarding his brother's mental health struggles.
Onset of Illness and Diagnosis
The inquiry was informed that Calocane began exhibiting signs of mental illness while studying at the University of Nottingham. He was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in July 2020.
Documenting Interactions and Mental Health Concerns
Following Calocane's initial admission to a psychiatric ward in May 2020, Elias compiled a document detailing interactions with his brother dating back to 2017. He hoped this document would assist medical professionals in treating Valdo.
The document contained a series of messages in which Calocane described hearing voices and expressed a desire to "harm, permanently." Elias maintained that in these communications, his brother was referring to self-harm.
Elias testified that he began taking notes about his interactions with Valdo because he "didn't know what else to do." However, he was never contacted by mental health professionals regarding the document and believed it had been "lost in the ether."
Limited Contact and Struggles with Relationship
Elias reported seeing his brother only twice between January 2020 and June 2023—once in 2020 and once in 2022. He attempted to reason with Valdo about his delusions of being monitored and hearing voices but found their relationship challenging.
"I guess I can say more confidently looking back, but part of this was a defence mechanism on my part, of dealing with a loss ahead of time, if that makes sense. I thought that - and I explained this to people - that every time mum called me during that period, I thought it was going to be... um, yeah, I just found it really hard."
Elias expressed a "sense of hopelessness" and admitted he did not fully understand what was happening with his brother's condition.
"I couldn't see another way out," he said. "I just didn't know what to do about it. I felt powerless."
Diagnosis Disclosure and Reactions
Elias revealed that he only became aware of Valdo's paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis in October 2023, four months after the killings.
The families of the victims—Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates—shook their heads in disagreement as Elias provided evidence about his knowledge of his brother's illness.
Victims of the Nottingham Attacks
Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber, and Grace O'Malley-Kumar were killed by Calocane during the attacks across Nottingham.
Calocane also seriously injured three others during the incidents.
Additional Information
Calocane, now 34, is currently serving an indefinite hospital order in a high-security facility.
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