Public Inquiry Hearings on Nottingham Attacks

The Nottingham Inquiry held hearing day 48 on Thursday, May 21, as the public examination of the 2023 Nottingham attacks entered what the inquiry timetable shows are its final scheduled evidence days. The statutory inquiry is examining how Valdo Calocane came to kill three people and seriously injure three others in Nottingham on June 13, 2023, and how public bodies handled warning signs before and after the attacks. The inquiry’s official schedule lists four more hearing days after Thursday, running from May 26 to May 29. Her Honour Deborah Taylor is chairing the proceedings. ### Who was killed and injured in the attacks the inquiry is examining? Valdo Calocane killed Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates in Nottingham city centre on June 13, 2023, according to the inquiry website and the Ministry of Justice’s published terms of reference. The same sources say Sharon Miller, Wayne Birkett and Marcin Gawronski were seriously injured. (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk) The inquiry website says its work falls under two broad headings: establishing what happened, when and why, and identifying what can be done to prevent similar events. The government’s terms of reference say that includes the management of Calocane’s risk to others, the response of emergency services on the day, and a timeline of unauthorized access to information by public servants. (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk) ### Why are the hearings in London if the attacks happened in Nottingham? Mary Ward House in London is the hearing venue for the inquiry, according to the official hearings page. The same page says sessions are livestreamed on YouTube except where sensitive material is covered by a restriction order under the Inquiries Act 2005. The inquiry itself is a statutory public inquiry announced in the House of Commons on April 22, 2025, with terms of reference laid in Parliament on May 22, 2025, according to the inquiry website and the Ministry of Justice. (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk) The government said at the time that the inquiry was expected to report within two years. ### What was scheduled for May 21? Hearing day 48 was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on May 21 at Mary Ward House, according to the inquiry’s hearing page. (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk) The listed witnesses, subject to change, were Diane Hull of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Dr Adrian James of NHS England. The inquiry’s evidence page showed transcripts had already been published for hearing day 47 on May 20, indicating the panel has continued to post documents as the hearings progress. (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk) The official updates page directs readers to the hearings and evidence sections for the latest material from the proceedings. ### What has emerged in recent evidence? Celeste Calocane, Valdo Calocane’s mother, told the inquiry on May 14 that she had concerns about her son’s mental health in 2020, according to Sky News’ live coverage of hearing day 44. (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk) Sky reported that she said mental health services, MI5 and the police were “working together to get him” in his mind, and that she believed he had been discharged from hospital too early after an earlier crisis. (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk) Sky also reported that Celeste Calocane told the inquiry her son was not at risk of randomly attacking people and was “acting on something” when he carried out the attacks. The inquiry returned the following week to hear from witnesses connected to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Sky said. ### Why has record access by public staff become part of the inquiry? (news.sky.com) The Ministry of Justice’s terms of reference specifically include a timeline of unauthorized access to information by public servants. That issue has continued alongside the hearings. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed on May 21 that 11 staff members had been dismissed and another 14 had faced disciplinary action over inappropriate access to medical records related to the attack victims, according to reporting published by Yahoo News UK citing the Nottingham Post. (news.sky.com) Emma Webber, Barnaby Webber’s mother, told the Nottingham Post that the scale of access was “shocking” and said 150 staff had accessed the records, though the trust’s investigation remained ongoing. (gov.uk) ### What happens next in the inquiry calendar? The inquiry’s upcoming hearings page lists hearing day 49 on May 26, followed by days 50, 51 and 52 on May 27, May 28 and May 29. A separate hearing page for May 27 lists witnesses including Dr Manjeet Shehmar of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and registered mental health nurses Des McMorrow and Andy Johnston. (uk.news.yahoo.com) The official inquiry website says readers can follow the remaining hearings through its schedule, evidence page and YouTube livestream as the final listed May sessions go ahead. (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk) (nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk)