The 11 deadly blunders that left Valdo Calocane free to kill as Nottingham victims’ parents say cops have blood on hands

SHOCKING police blunders which left Valdo Calocane free to kill three people are today exposed by The Sun. Victims’ families have accused cops of having blood on their hands for 11 blunders which left Nottingham attacker Calocane free to kill. A police watchdog report obtained by The Sun reveals officers failed to properly investigate Calocane’s attack on two work colleagues at a warehouse weeks before his June 2023 rampage.

That case was earmarked for the bin a day before the paranoid schizophrenic fatally stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65. On May 5, 2023, three Leicestershire Police officers were called to a warehouse in Kegworth. Agency worker Calocane, 33, had allegedly pushed over one employee and punched another in the face at Arvato Supply Chain Solutions.

He was asked to leave and reached for a knife shortly after the assault, said witnesses. The officers are accused of failing to act on that information, saying they were not told of a blade. They failed to download CCTV footage of the attack to a USB stick, claiming each other had it on their body-worn camera. They made no attempt to arrest Calocane or interview witnesses. The cops failed to even check the Police National Computer which would have revealed Calocane was wanted for a 2022 attack on a police officer in Nottinghamshire.

The 11 total mistakes emerged in a report by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC). It concluded the investigation was “exceptionally poor” and “a missed opportunity” which may have prevented the Nottingham attack. Victims’ families told The Sun: “The damning failures exposed by this investigation are just another example of how our loved ones were badly failed by the authorities.

“If the police had just done their jobs properly by performing a simple check on the Police National Computer, Barnaby, Grace and Ian might still be alive today. “Their failure to do even the most basic of policing means they have to live with the consequences of what happened.”. Previous inquiries found mistakes by Nottinghamshire cops, and that medics failed to ensure Calocane got medication for his illness.

The families said Leicestershire cops “have blood on their hands just as much”. They branded the IOPC investigation of “very poor quality” and said they feel let down by the outcome. 1. THE police officers assigned to investigate Valdo Calocane’s attack on two warehouse work colleagues took 18 minutes to arrive at the scene — exceeding the target minimum response time of 15 minutes. 2. ON arrival, they were reportedly told by a witness that Calocane had grabbed for a safety knife before he was escorted off the premises — but they are accused of failing to act on that information.

Both officers deny ever being told the suspect had reached for a blade. 3. THE investigating officers failed to download CCTV footage of the attack on a USB stick. Both claim the other recorded the CCTV on their body-worn cameras, but neither saved it evidentially and the recording was ultimately wiped from the warehouse firm’s servers. 4. THE police officers also failed to save body-worn camera video footage of the initial verbal accounts given by the victims.

5. NO written statements or accounts were taken by cops from either victim at the scene or following the incident, as the officers were assigned to another job and had to leave. 6. ATTEMPTS to contact the training co-ordinator who called 999 and the two victims of the assault in the weeks that followed were limited to email and telephone. Neither officer visited them in person after the incident. 7. DESPITE one victim speaking limited English and the other speaking no English, a translator was not called in to help them communicate with police.

8. OFFICERS were also given a list of witnesses to the assault, but there is no evidence any of them were ever contacted or had their statements taken. 9. NO Police National Computer or Police National Database checks on Calocane were completed at any stage of the investigation. As a result, the officers were unaware there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. They were also unaware of several other recorded mental health and assault incidents.

10. NO attempts to arrest Calocane were ever made during the police probe. 11. THE sergeant supervising the investigation was responsible for conducting a crime review of the case, but failed to do so. They added: “The police force in question and the watchdog supposed to hold them to account are not fit for purpose.”. It is understood the Leicestershire officers face a misconduct meeting behind closed doors this month.