Woman who died trying to save friend is a 'hero'

Barnaby Webber, 19, from Taunton, was killed in the Nottingham stabbings last year along with his friend Grace O'Malley-Kumar

The mother of a boy who was fatally stabbed has called his friend who died trying to save him a "hero".

Barnaby Webber, 19, from Taunton, was killed in the Nottingham stabbings last year along with his friend Grace O'Malley-Kumar.

Mr Webber's mother Emma Webber said Ms O'Malley-Kumar was a "hero and an amazing girl" for trying to save Mr Webber's life.

"I just think that shows the mettle of the girl," she added.

Grace O'Malley-Kumar was a "hero", Mrs Webber said

Mr Webber and Ms O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, were stabbed to death on 13 June 2023.

In January, Valdo Calocane was given an indefinite hospital order after admitting manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mrs Webber once again called for Ms O'Malley-Kumar to be awarded for her courage.

She was speaking after the opening of the Knife Angel sculpture - which highlights the effect of knife crime - in Weston-super-Mare on Wednesday.

“Barney didn’t have a chance; he was ambushed. He had no chance to do anything, but Grace did," Mrs Webber said.

"I just think that shows the mettle of the girl. It only just breaks my heart even more when we know that.”

Calocane's sentence is set to be reviewed next week after the Attorney General ruled it was “unduly lenient”.

There was further anguish for the families after it emerged that some police officers had been sharing graphic details about the attack in a WhatsApp group and sent messages Mrs Webber described as “callous, degrading, and desensitised".

Last week, Mrs Webber penned an open letter to the officers in The Times, stating that it had inflicted “more trauma than you can imagine”.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The way it was managed by the leadership of Nottinghamshire police is a disgrace in my opinion.”

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and, X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.