Last footsteps of Nottingham victims before Valdo Calocane stabbed them to death in 'despicable and murderous' attack
TWO university students killed in the horror attack in Nottingham were seen chatting happily just before they were stabbed to death.
Grace O'Malley-Kumar And Barnaby Webberboth 19 years old, strolled down the street and turned to talk to each other with animated arms as they went home.
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But tragically, the teens never returned to their university building – they were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane in what has been called a 'despicable and murderous' rampage.
Calocane, 32, pleaded guilty yesterday guilty of manslaughter by Elegance And Barnabyand 65-year-old grandfather Ian Coates.
The triple murderer pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Nottingham Crown Court learned that Calocane was suffering from an “extreme” mental illness at the time, including paranoid schizophrenia.
He will no longer stand trial for murder and will be sentenced to death today.
The families of his three victims wept as the horror events of June 13 last year were retold in court.
Grace and Barnaby were walking home after a night out at the end of their school year.
CCTV footage showed them deep in conversation as they wandered along the footpath, with no idea Calocane was waiting to strike.
He is said to have been lying in wait for a victim and jumped on the pair with a dagger in his hand that he had taken from his bag.
Grace is being hailed as a 'hero' for trying to save her friend who suffered “serious injuries” after being stabbed “repeatedly”.
As Barnaby collapsed, she tried to stop Calocane and pushed him into the road.
However, he then turned his attention to her – and was “as uncompromisingly brutal in his attack on Grace as he was in his attack on Barnaby”.
The pair were left dying on the footpath with 'unsurvivable' injuries just 300 meters from their halls – while Calocane 'calmly' walked away.
Barnaby's father David Webber told the court yesterday that he and his family are still overwhelmed every day by the “crippling” pain of losing him.
Timeline of the Nottingham attacks
The attacks started at around 4am on Ilkeston Road on June 13, Nottingham when Calocane launched at Barnaby and Grace.
Prosecutor Karim Khalil KC said the “brutal” attack was captured from a taxi's dashcam.
He added: “These images show that the devastating violence of the attacks was only mirrored by the deliberate and ruthless manner in which the suspect acted.”
After killing Grace and Barnaby, the rampaging Calocane attempted to break into a house but was punched in the face by a stunned resident.
Undeterred, he made his way to Magdala Road, where he encountered caretaker Ian.
He then used the van to hit the three pedestrians.
The police announced around 7 a.m. that a “major incident” had occurred.
In the hours that followed, they revealed three people were deadAnother fought for his life and two were injured.
Valdo Calocane was identified as the man and arrested on suspicion of murder.
Grace and Barnaby's families gathered during a wake the day after they were killed.
On June 16, three days after the attack, he was indicted with the triple murder.
A week after the attack, one of the men hit by Calocane's van opened up about the horror, saying: “remembered everything“.
On July 12th Grandfather Ian was said goodbye during a service filled with loved ones.
Two days later, 'extraordinary' Barnaby's mother broke down in tears at his funeral – where hundreds of people gathered to say their goodbyes.
And more than that on July 21st 1,000 mourners gathered to pay tribute to Grace.
Calocane was found guilty of manslaughter of Grace and Barnaby, and a 65-year-old grandfather Ian Coates on January 23.
David told Calocane, “Your vile, murderous actions are beyond repair in this or any other life.
“Your evil, cruel, selfish, unforgivable actions have caused damage that will never be repaired.
“I believe in karma; I hope you get everything you deserve for the rest of your life.”
It was after attacking Barnaby and Grace that the killer encountered caretaker Ian.
He stabbed the grandfather to death, stole his van and rammed the three pedestrians.
The triple murderer previously admitted that attempted murder of Sharon Miller, Marcin Gawronski and Wayne Birkett, who were injured by the vehicle.
Ian's son also spoke directly to Calocane in court yesterday.
James Coates looked straight at his father's killer and said, “Mine's short, so I hope you're listening, Valdo?”
Your vile, murderous actions cannot be repaired in this or any other life.
David Webber
“Our father was just five months away from retirement and on his way to work when he was brutally murdered, a senseless murder and a life without remorse.
“He had plans to pursue what he loved in retirement, fishing for many years. But a selfish monster decided to go on a killing spree.”
The Sun exclusively revealed the killer had been booted university halls for assaulting a roommate – and was nicknamed “serial killer”.
A video shows Calocane putting Chris Young in a headlock just a year before the horror disaster.
Pals told how violence broke out when he was an adult Student Calocane snapped when asked to collect the dirty laundry from the apartment.
The clip shows Chris frantically begging for housemates to “call the police” and shouting “Valdo, get off me” during the attack at Rayleigh Park Halls, in March 2022.
Officers arrived on the scene and escorted Calocane away – before university officials insisted he not face charges.
The times also reported that police had issued a warrant for his arrest in September 2022.
It came after he failed to appear in court to face an assault charge after attacking an officer who was taking him to hospital for mental health treatment.
But officers never tracked him down and nine months later he stabbed Barnaby, Grace and Ian to death.
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