Statement on behalf of the united families of Ian Coates, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber.
For us, the families of the victims of Valdo Calocane, the Section 48 review findings make for devastating reading.
This report demonstrates gross, systemic failures in the mental health trust in their dealings with Calocane; from beginning to end.
Clinicians involved at every stage of Calocane’s care must bear a heavy burden of responsibility for their failures and poor decision-making.
Sadly, this is the first of what we expect to be a series of damning reports concerning failures by public bodies in the lead-up to the killings of our loved ones, and beyond. We were failed by multiple organisations pre and post-June 13, 2023.
Along with the Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire police forces, these departments and individual professionals have blood on their hands.
Alarmingly, there seems to be little or no accountability amongst the senior management team within the mental health trust. We question how and why these people are still in position.
Additionally, there is detail in the report which calls into question the accuracy of the evidence provided to the Court about Calocane’s condition and treatment.
We have learned from the CQC that, contrary to what was said in Court, Calocane was not simply treatment-resistant. Calocane refused to take medication. And there was no two-year, prolonged period of psychosis. Amongst other things, we will be asking about the basis of the experts’ evidence to the Court.
Following meetings with the Attorney General and Health Secretary on Tuesday of last week, we are pleased to have had confirmation that a Public Inquiry will take place. The final form of the inquiry is yet to be determined, but we families urge that it must be a statutory, judge-led one.
Progress is slowly being made and we will continue in our fight to ensure there is full organisational and individual accountability for the horrific events of 13 June 2023.
We will also fight to ensure that appropriate changes and improvements to our systems and laws are made, so as to ensure that a tragedy of this level is prevented from ever happening again.
