The family of a student killed in the Nottingham attacks has described their meeting with the police watchdog leading the public inquiry into her death as “offensive”.
Valdo Calocane killed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023.
It was announced in February that prosecutors, police and medical professionals would be scrutinised in the two-year inquiry, including the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Grace’s father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said that an IOPC regional director had behaved inappropriately when the bereaved families met the watchdog nine months after the attacks in March 2024, including by starting the meeting with a prayer.
Dr Kumar told The Sunday Times: “I found it patronising and offensive.
“I didn’t want a prayer, I wanted answers. I’ve lost my daughter and it was his job to give me the truth, not a prayer.
“There are plenty of places to pray and the IOPC isn’t one of them.”
The regional director at the meeting, Derrick Campbell, is now the watchdog’s director of engagement, the newspaper reported.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “We can confirm we’ve received a complaint about one of our directors and we are dealing with it in line with our complaints and feedback procedure.”
The IOPC previously prepared a report which concluded that police failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane, which could have stopped his murder spree a month later, leading to the watchdog reopening its investigation into the incidents in March.
In a statement at that time, Mr Campbell said: “Those who are closely impacted by our decision, including the bereaved families and the officers involved, have been notified and we will complete this work as quickly as possible.”
Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder, something which has been widely criticised by the victims’ families.
Barnaby’s mother Emma Webber said in February last year that the families had a lot of concerns “that were in the most part wholly ignored” by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Senior retired judge Deborah Taylor will chair the inquiry, which aims to report back within two years, with recommendations to prevent similar incidents.
