Latest news with #posthumousDegrees


The Sun
16-07-2025
- The Sun
Nottingham attack victims Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber to receive posthumous degrees
TWO students who were stabbed to death in the Nottingham attacks will receive posthumous degrees this month. Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, were killed in Valdo Calocane's rampage in June 2023. 4 The University of Nottingham, where Barnaby was studying history and hockey starlet Grace was a medical student, yesterday confirmed they would both be awarded degrees at this month's graduation ceremonies. A spokesman said: 'We are working with their families to understand how they would prefer to mark this important milestone. 'We also appreciate that this is likely to be an emotional day for their cohort, who will be remembering their friends Barney and Grace.' Barnaby's mother, Emma, said his younger brother would accept the degree on his family's behalf. She added: 'We are so proud that Charlie, who is only 17, is able to go to Nottingham, supported by close friends and family, to accept Barney's degree on our behalf. "Sadly, it's too much for us to bear but we do feel it's important that it's marked.' Caretaker Ian Coates, 65, was also killed in the knife rampage, and Emma added: 'We will use the day to think of Barney, his great friend Grace and also Ian. 'We want to celebrate their lives and not the monster who took them.' Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024.


The Independent
16-07-2025
- The Independent
Students killed in Nottingham attacks to be awarded posthumous degrees
Two students who were stabbed to death in the Nottingham attacks will receive posthumous degrees this month. Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, were fatally stabbed as they walked home from a night out in Nottingham in the early hours of June 13 2023 by Valdo Calocane, who also went on to kill 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates and attempt to kill three others. The University of Nottingham, where Barnaby was studying history and Grace was a medical student, has confirmed they will both be given posthumous degrees at this summer's graduation ceremonies. 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 later this month and are working with their families to understand how they would prefer to mark this important milestone. 'We also appreciate that this is likely to be an emotional day for many of their cohort, who will be remembering their friends Barney and Grace.' Emma Webber, Barnaby's mother, said his younger brother would be attending the ceremony to accept the degree on his family's behalf. She told the PA news agency: 'We are so proud that Charlie, who is only 17, is able to go to Nottingham, supported by very close friends and family, to accept Barney's degree on our behalf. 'Sadly, it's too much for us to bear, but we do feel it's important that it's marked.' She added: 'What should have been a proud, happy day for all of the family is yet another tragically sad one. 'But we will use the day to think of Barney, his beaming smile, his great friend Grace and also Ian Coates. 'We want to celebrate their lives and not the monster that took them.' Calocane admitted three counts of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors accepted the then-32-year-old's not guilty pleas to murder charges at his sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court in January 2024 after medical evidence showed he has paranoid schizophrenia.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Students killed in Nottingham attacks to be awarded posthumous degrees
Two students who were stabbed to death in the Nottingham attacks will receive posthumous degrees this month. Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, were fatally stabbed as they walked home from a night out in Nottingham in the early hours of June 13 2023 by Valdo Calocane, who also went on to kill 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates and attempt to kill three others. The University of Nottingham, where Barnaby was studying history and Grace was a medical student, has confirmed they will both be given posthumous degrees at this summer's graduation ceremonies. 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 later this month and are working with their families to understand how they would prefer to mark this important milestone. 'We also appreciate that this is likely to be an emotional day for many of their cohort, who will be remembering their friends Barney and Grace.' Emma Webber, Barnaby's mother, said his younger brother would be attending the ceremony to accept the degree on his family's behalf. She told the PA news agency: 'We are so proud that Charlie, who is only 17, is able to go to Nottingham, supported by very close friends and family, to accept Barney's degree on our behalf. 'Sadly, it's too much for us to bear, but we do feel it's important that it's marked.' She added: 'What should have been a proud, happy day for all of the family is yet another tragically sad one. 'But we will use the day to think of Barney, his beaming smile, his great friend Grace and also Ian Coates. 'We want to celebrate their lives and not the monster that took them.' Calocane admitted three counts of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors accepted the then-32-year-old's not guilty pleas to murder charges at his sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court in January 2024 after medical evidence showed he has paranoid schizophrenia.


BBC News
15-07-2025
- BBC News
Nottingham attacks victims to receive posthumous degrees
Two students who died in the Nottingham attacks in 2023 are to receive posthumous degrees later this 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 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 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 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 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 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 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."