More than three years after the Nottingham attacks, the Somerset-based family of one of the victims say they have been left asking fresh questions about why authorities didn't inform them of an "utterly chilling" revelation in the case.
The family of Nottingham attacks victim Barnaby Webber have accused police and watchdog officials of a "failure of basic safeguarding, basic compassion and basic common sense" after learning they were not warned about a man allegedly fixated on the case.
The allegations emerged after reports that a mentally ill man with a history of concerning behaviour and links to the Government's Prevent anti-extremism programme is believed to have travelled to Somerset and attempted to contact Barnaby's family.
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Barnaby, a University of Nottingham student from Somerset, was one of three people killed during the attacks in June 2023.
Fellow 19-year-old student Grace O'Malley-Kumar and school caretaker Ian Coates were also killed by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane.
Three other people were injured when a van stolen by Calocane was driven into pedestrians.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Barnaby's mother, Emma Webber, said her family had been unaware of the "fixated" man's alleged behaviour and had not been given an opportunity to take steps to protect themselves.
She said: "Today's revelations are yet another devastating example of the incompetence and institutional failure that has come to define the response of Nottinghamshire Police and the IOPC to our family."
"We are told that a mentally ill man with a fixation on the Nottingham attacks, a history of concerning behaviour, and links to Prevent was able to travel to our hometown, actively seek out our family and the families of other victims, yet we were left completely in the dark."
"We were given no warning, no safeguarding advice, and no opportunity to take steps to protect ourselves, our workplaces, or our son Charlie's school."
Mrs Webber added: “For a family already living with the unimaginable trauma of losing Barnaby to a man who was known to services, known to have serious mental health issues, and known to present risks that were repeatedly missed, this latest revelation is utterly chilling.
"The idea that another individual displaying seemingly similar warning signs was able to travel across the country seeking us out, potentially visiting places connected to our family and our community, without us being told, is terrifying," she said.
Questioning why families were not informed sooner, she added: "This is not just a failure of communication. It is a failure of basic safeguarding, basic compassion and basic common sense."
Mrs Webber also questioned the delay is keeping victims' families informed of the incident, saying: “What is perhaps most disturbing is that this information was not withheld for days or weeks, but for many months.
“During that time, officials were apparently discussing the matter internally, preparing profiles and consulting lawyers, while the families most directly affected remained uninformed and unprotected.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it had received a complaint referral from Nottinghamshire Police concerning information allegedly withheld from the families of Calocane's victims.
A spokesperson said: "We are now assessing the referral to decide what further action is required."
The watchdog said it spoke to a potential witness in January 2025 during its investigation into Nottinghamshire Police's interactions with Calocane before the attacks.
It added that the information provided was assessed as not relevant to that investigation, but that Nottingham police had been informed so they could take "appropriate safeguarding measures".
The IOPC said it recognised that the families should have been updated that it had spoken to the witness at the time and had “acknowledged that in a recent update to them.”
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said: “We received a complaint and due to the nature of the complaint referred the matter to the IOPC on August 24 and are awaiting their response.
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment any further at this stage while an investigation is under way. We have updated the complainant throughout the process.”
Mrs Webber said the family would continue to seek answers, adding: "We are exhausted by these repeated failings, but we will not stop demanding answers.
"Victims and their families deserve honesty, transparency and protection. We have received far too little of any of them."
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