Background of Assault Incident
Valdo Calocane, who later committed a triple murder in Nottingham, placed his university flatmate in a headlock following a dispute over cleaning a shared bathroom. This incident occurred less than two years prior to the attacks, a public inquiry has disclosed.
On 13 June 2023, Calocane fatally stabbed Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber, and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and seriously injured three others.
In January 2022, Calocane assaulted his former flatmate, identified only as Christopher, and prevented him from leaving their shared accommodation.
The inquiry also revealed that months before the attacks, police did not act on an outstanding arrest warrant for Calocane, which remained active on the day of the attacks.
The inquiry, chaired by retired judge Deborah Taylor, is investigating the circumstances leading up to the attacks. Over 100 witnesses, including police officers and mental health professionals familiar with Calocane, are scheduled to provide testimony during the eight-week inquiry.
Mental Health and University Life
Calocane was a mature student at the University of Nottingham when he developed mental health issues, receiving a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia in July 2020.
He moved into Raleigh Park, private student accommodation in Lenton, Nottingham, in October 2021, where Christopher and other students resided.
Prior to this, Calocane had been detained under the Mental Health Act multiple times and was involved in several incidents, including an assault on another student named Sebastian in July 2021.
Flatmate's Account of the Incident
Christopher testified that Calocane was initially "very quiet" and "kept to himself." However, between December 2021 and January 2022, his behavior worsened, becoming increasingly withdrawn.
Flatmates expressed concerns about the condition in which Calocane left one of the two shared bathrooms.
On 15 January 2022, Christopher confronted Calocane, requesting he clean the bathroom. Calocane dismissed the request and retreated to his room.
Later that day, Christopher asked again if the bathroom had been cleaned.
"He said 'no I'm not going to, what are you going to do about it?'"
Christopher responded,
"That upset me and I thought it was rude so I said 'I will call you a dirty [expletive].'"
Shortly after, Calocane assaulted him.
"He came flying across the room, threw a punch, I dodged the punch and then we were wrestling,"
Christopher said.
"He ended up getting me in a headlock and then I was asking him 'please let go of me, let go me'."
A brief video shown during the inquiry depicted Calocane holding Christopher in a headlock while Christopher called for someone to "ring the police." Other flatmates were heard urging, "Valdo, stop it."
Calocane eventually released Christopher, who then contacted the police. However, Calocane subsequently prevented him from leaving the flat.
A second video played at the inquiry captured Christopher saying,
"I just want to go"
and
"he ain't gonna let me leave for some reason."
Christopher made a second call to the police.
He described Calocane's intense gaze after the assault as unsettling and unusual.
"I found it very unsettling, very unusual,"
he said.
"That was perhaps what distressed me the most - is that I felt I could not relate and I couldn't see what he was thinking,"
he added.
Police Response and Aftermath
The inquiry heard that Calocane was not arrested or charged for the assault. Christopher believed pursuing legal action would be futile.
When police initially arrived, an officer reportedly told Christopher,
"You don't have enough for ABH because you don't have any real injuries, this is going to be common assault."
Christopher felt this was dismissive,
"I felt like it was dismissive in a way, trying to basically tell me that nothing was going to happen."
After notifying the University of Nottingham about the incident, Christopher and other flatmates were assisted in leaving the accommodation on 18 January, quietly departing while Calocane was asleep.
The students were informed that Calocane was "getting the care he needs" following the incident.
Flatmate's Reflections on the Attacks
The inquiry also read a statement from another flatmate, known only as Sam.
Upon learning of the Nottingham attacks, Sam initially suspected Calocane's involvement.
"I felt shocked when I found out about the attacks - it didn't feel real at first,"
he said.
"It's not something you expect to be close to. I was annoyed at the whole situation.
"I've now watched the documentaries - we weren't aware of his medical history.
"The whole picture looks a lot different from what we knew at that time."
