Sunak declines to back calls for public inquiry into Nottingham attacks

Barnaby Webber’s mother Emma said Nottinghamshire Police had ‘blood on your hands’ after a triple killer was sentenced.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not say whether he would order an inquiry into the Nottingham attacks (Dan Kitwood/PA) (PA Wire)

Rishi Sunak has declined to back calls for a public inquiry into the circumstances that led to the Nottingham attacks.

It comes after a judge handed down a hospital order to Valdo Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia and whose pleas to manslaughter by diminished responsibility were accepted earlier this week.

The families of the victims have reacted angrily to the sentencing and said the search would continue for answers about “missed opportunities”.

The Prime Minister on Thursday sent his “heartfelt condolences” to the families and said that he wanted state agencies to learn “any lessons” required from the case.

In a statement read outside court after sentencing, Barnaby Webber’s mother Emma said Nottinghamshire Police had “blood on your hands”.

The 19-year-old student was killed alongside his friend, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, also 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, on June 13 last year.

Mrs Webber told police: “If you had just done your jobs properly, there’s a very good chance our beautiful boy would be alive today.

“There is so much more to say and clearly serious questions regarding this case and events leading up to this monster being out in society.”

Mr Sunak was asked by broadcasters during a visit to North Yorkshire if he would order a public inquiry into any failings by the police, health authorities and the Crown Prosecution Service.

“My thoughts are with all the families affected by what happened. It was an absolutely awful case and as a parent you think when you send your kids out into the world or university they’ll be safe.

“I can’t imagine the pain they are going through at the moment.

“This is obviously a very dangerous individual.”

The Prime Minister said it was “right” Calocane will “spend very probably the rest of his life” in a high-security hospital.

“I also think it is important that all the relevant agencies look back to ensure that all reasonable steps that could have been taken were taken and if there are any lessons to be learned that we do so.”

Number 10 declined to say what, if any, further action might be taken in response to the case.

“What happens next is that it is right that the agencies look back and check through that all the proper processes and all the steps that could be taken were taken, and we’re going to let that work take its course first,” a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said.