Nottingham attacks victims to receive posthumous degrees

BBC News

6 days ago

Two students who died in the Nottingham attacks in 2023 are to receive posthumous degrees later this month.Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane in a series of attacks which also killed 65-year-old Ian Coates on 13 June.The University of Nottingham said Barnaby, who was studying history, will receive the honour at a graduation ceremony in late July along with Grace, who was studying to receive a bachelor of medical science.It is understood she will also receive a full posthumous medical degree in 2027.
Barnaby's mother, Emma Webber, said attending in person would be too painful but friends and his godmother would accept the honour on behalf of the family.
The student, from Taunton, Somerset, was coming to the end of his first year at the University of Nottingham when he was killed on his way home from a night out.He had been walking home with Grace when Valdo Calocane fatally stabbed them before going on to kill Mr Coates and using his van to drive into three pedestrians.Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder.In February, a judge-led public inquiry into the killings was announced by the prime minister following extensive campainging by the victims' families.
Speaking to the BBC, Mrs Webber said: "I was writing an email back to [University of Nottingham] who are honouring Barney's degree on 28 July. "There are things I can do and things I can't do and I cannot go because I think it would finish me off. "But his best friends from university and his very best friend from school in Somerset and his brother and his godmother are going to go to accept his graduation on behalf of our family."That's the level of real pain that we have to go through every day and we try not to expose that publicly because people don't want or need to see it but I want to raise some light on what's wrong and what needs changing."
Mrs Webber told BBC 5Live she had written to government ministers over her concerns around the Victims and Courts Bill which is going through Parliament.She said "more power and decision-making" would be given to hospital and probation managers on the consideration to release people with mental disorders and that all families would be able to do is "request information" given at the agency's discretion. Mrs Webber added victims were "not being treated with the degree of humanity and rights we deserve".A government spokesperson said: "The bill will ensure all victims can request important information about an offender regardless if they are in prison or hospital."We will continue to engage with victims and campaigners are the bill moves through Parliament."A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham said: "We will be offering posthumous degrees for both Barney and Grace at this summer's graduation ceremonies in July and are working with their families to understand how they would prefer to mark this important milestone. "We also appreciate that this likely to be an emotional day for many of their cohort, who will be remembering their friends Barney and Grace."