The families of the victims killed in the Nottingham knife rampage have called the BBC‘s Panorama show focusing on the tragic event ‘shameful’ and said made their trauma ‘a million times worse’.
Valdo Calocane, a 32-year-old paranoid schizophrenic, went on a rampage in the city in June last year killing 19-year-old student’s Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber before fatally stabbing Ian Coates, 65. He then stole Ian’s van and crashed it into three people causing them serious injuries.
The families of the victims were further traumatised when they learnt that police did not detain Calocane after he attacked a police officer a year before. They were devastated to find out prosecutors dropped murder charges and Calocane instead admitted manslaughter and received a hospital order because of his mental condition.
Calocane was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020 and was sectioned four times in under two years. He was told in court that he would ‘very probably’ be detained for life after five psychiatrists said mental illness caused him to stab his victims.
The BBC’s Panorama show, The Nottingham Attacks: A Search for Answers, aired on August 12 and relatives of Grace, Barnaby and Ian have since made formal complaints. They claim they were refused a preview screening and that it contains inaccuracies and was too sympathetic towards the killers family.
Calocane, 32, admitted three charges of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at Nottingham Crown Court
The 19-year-old university students were killed while walking home from a night out in the city
Calocane went on to kill school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, later that same morning
The family of Barnaby Webber, second left, with his father David Webber, left, mother Emma and brother Charlie
Victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar, left, pictured with father Dr Sanjoy Kumar, who has criticised ‘gaps’ in Valdo Calocane’s treatment, alongside Grace’s mother Sinead and brother James
Barnaby’s mum Emma, who spoke on behalf of all three families, told The Mirror: ‘We believe what the produced is a very imbalanced documentary – it’s shameful, cold, ill-judged, arrogant and thoughtless.’
She said watching the BBC’s treatment of the case had made their trauma even worse. The BBC only informed them about the show after they had already filmed it and a fortnight before it was due to be broadcast. Emma also claims that none of the victims families were considered or consulted at any point to be told the show was being made.
She said the BBC told them ‘people would be talking on camera for the first time’ but refused their requests for more information on the programme. They only found out the killers family were being interviewed on camera when they watched the show.
Emma said that none of the families had seen or heard the voices of Calocane’s family and that ‘to even know their names is trauma’. Seeing pictures of the killer as a child ‘made it a million times worse’ for them.
The families are also concerned over claims from Calocane’s family that they did not know of his mental health issues until after the stabbings and are demanding to know why BBC Panorama editors chose not to mention the fact that his mother was an NHS nurse.
Emma said: ‘There were a wide number of inaccuracies and clearly curated editing to make it an attack on the NHS failures and a sympathetic piece towards the family. Emma said.
‘We utterly dispute that the family did not know of his diagnosis until after the attacks. We have seen evidence that they knew years ago.’
Emma said watching the BBC’s treatment of the case had made their trauma even worse (file image)
Calocane’s mother and brother (pictured) are calling for urgent reform of mental health services in the UK and want a public inquiry. They spoke to BBC Panorama
Dr Sinead O’Malley and Dr Sanjoy Kumar, parents of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Ian Coates’s son James Coates and Emma and David Webber, parents of Barnaby Webber, are pictured speaking to the media outside the Royal Courts of Justice
The families tried to reach out to the show’s editors to express their concerns but say the responses they got were ‘cold’ and ‘dismissive’, forcing them to lodge a formal complaint which has been escalated to the corporation’s highest ‘stage two’ level and they are now awaiting a response.
The BBC may have to issue an apology, publish a correction or simply provide ‘a considered reply’. If the families are unhappy with how the BBC react to their complaint then they will have to escalate it to TV regulator Ofcom.
The families lawyer, Neil Hudgell, said the families were told about the show as a ‘fait accompli’ – a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it.
He added that the families could have pointed out ‘obvious factual errors’ if they had been involved but were not given the opportunity.
Mr Hudgell said that the families believe they were excluded from the production process so that ‘the programme could promote the narrative that the Calocane family were victims too’.
The lawyer said they have ‘no interest in compensation’ and are more concerned with ‘proper accountability based on fair, proper and accurate reporting’ and ‘setting the record straight’.
Emma said the families have ‘nothing to hide, embellish or defend’ but instead ‘insist on getting answers and uncovering the truth’.
MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.