Valdo Calocane, convicted of killing three people in Nottingham due to paranoid schizophrenia, has had his indefinite hospital order upheld by the Court of Appeal in London. The ruling emphasized the absence of a penal element in the sentence, sparking controversy among the victims’ families.
The Court of Appeal in London has upheld the sentence of Valdo Calocane, a 32-year-old man, who killed three people in Nottingham on 13 June 2023. Calocane was given an indefinite hospital order at Nottingham Crown Court in January, after he pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to paranoid schizophrenia.
The victims, university students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, along with Ian Coates, a 65-year-old school caretaker, were murdered in a sequence of attacks that prosecutors attributed to Calocane’s severe mental health condition. The court heard that Calocane was also responsible for running over three other individuals during the same spree of violence.
The Attorney General had challenged the original sentencing, pushing for a hybrid order which would allow for Calocane to be transferred to prison after his treatment if deemed appropriate. However, the appeal was dismissed by senior judges including Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, who found no error in the approach of the initial trial judge. The ruling emphasized the absence of a penal element in the sentence due to the psychotic episode Calocane was experiencing, which was identified as the sole cause of his actions.
The decision has been controversial, with family members of the victims expressing dissatisfaction and feeling that justice has not been adequately served. Meanwhile, the court maintained that the focus remains on both the safety of the public and addressing Calocane’s medical needs effectively.