A paranoid schizophrenic who stabbed three people to death in Nottingham last summer made chilling phone calls to his brother as he carried out the attacks, a court heard.
As reported by Daily Mail, Valdo Calocane, 32, killed university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, in a rampage that lasted less than two hours on June 13, 2023. He also drove a van he had stolen from Mr Coates into three pedestrians, Wayne Birkett, Marcin Gawronski and Sharon Miller, who survived the incident. Calocane pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder in November, and his pleas were accepted by the prosecution on Tuesday due to his mental illness.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Calocane, an engineering graduate, had a history of psychosis and delusions, and had stopped taking his medication before the attacks. He believed he was being persecuted by a secret organisation and that he had to kill people to save the world, the court was told.
He also thought he was in contact with God and the devil, and that he had special powers and abilities. The court heard that Calocane had called his brother, who lives in Italy, several times on the night of the attacks, and told him: “This is the last time I’ll speak to you.”
He also said: “I’m sorry, I love you, but I have to do this.” He told his brother that he had killed two people and that he was going to kill more, and that he was being chased by the police and the army. He said he was doing it for a “good cause” and that he was “the chosen one”.
His brother tried to persuade him to stop and to seek help, but Calocane refused to listen. He also sent his brother text messages, saying: “I’m sorry, I love you, but I have to do this.” He added: “I’m not crazy, I’m doing this for a reason.”
He also wrote: “I’m sorry for what I’ve done, but I had to do it.” The court heard that Calocane had first attacked Mr Webber and Ms O’Malley-Kumar, who were studying medicine and history at the University of Nottingham respectively, on Ilkeston Road at around 4am. He stabbed them multiple times in the chest, neck and abdomen, and left them to die on the pavement. He then drove to Magdala Road, where he stabbed Mr Coates, a caretaker at a nearby school, who was getting ready to go to work. He stabbed him repeatedly in the chest and back, and took his van.
He then drove to the city centre, where he deliberately hit three pedestrians, Mr Birkett, Mr Gawronski and Ms Miller, in Milton Street and Upper Parliament Street. They suffered serious injuries, but survived the attack .Calocane was arrested by the police after they stopped the van in Milton Street.
He was taken to a hospital, where he was assessed by psychiatrists, who diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. He was later transferred to a secure mental hospital, where he remains. The court heard that Calocane had expressed remorse and regret for his actions, and that he was now taking his medication and engaging with treatment.
He will be sentenced on Wednesday, and is expected to receive a hospital order with restrictions, which means he will be detained indefinitely until he is deemed safe to be released. The families of the victims were in court to hear the details of the case, and some of them read out impact statements, describing their grief and loss.
