Mum 'frightened' son shares similarities with triple killer

The CQC launched a review of the way the NHS trust cared for Valdo Calocane

The mother of a man with a severe mental illness says she fears her son's medical case has striking similarities to that of Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane.

The woman said the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust had failed her son, 30, who had been diagnosed with depressive psychosis and had become increasingly violent as his mental health deteriorated.

She said he had been sectioned four times in recent years and was currently being kept in a secure ward at the Highbury Hospital, in Nottingham, after attacking two children in a park.

The trust said it would work with the patient and his family to resolve any concerns about his care.

The mother said her son was being treated at the Highbury Hospital where he has been sectioned

Calocane had been under the care of the same trust after he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020 and was sectioned four times in less than two years.

In June 2023, he went on to fatally stab University of Nottingham students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65.

An investigation found Calocane had often stopped taking his medication in the run-up to the stabbings and was displaying increasingly violent behaviour.

The mother, who contacted the BBC, said: "When I look at that case [Calocane] it makes me feel very frightened for my son because there are striking similarities.

"His mental health has been deteriorating since before Covid. He has attempted to kill himself before and he's become increasingly violent.

"My son was under a Community Treatment Order (CTO) which meant a nurse would come to his home once a month to get him to take medication but he would not let them in because he did not think he was ill.

"I would find boxes of tablets unopened in his flat. There was no monitoring.

"We feel powerless because we have complained to the trust about the lack of care and support but they have told us he is over 18 and does not welcome our interference."

The woman said she had found unopened boxes of medication which her son had refused to take

The mother described her son's support as "piecemeal at best" and said it had been difficult to get anyone to talk to them about their concerns.

"We have seen him change as his mental health worsens. He has been aggressive with us, he's attacked people and he has said some horribly racist things," she said.

"That is not our son at all, that's his mental illness showing. He's a totally different person and that has caused him to lose his job, his friends and so much.

"I'm terrified he might do someone very serious harm in the future if he does not get better care."

She has lodged a formal complaint about her son's care with the trust's Patient Advice and Liaison Service.

In an email, seen by the BBC, the trust said her complaint would be investigated and she would receive a response by 10 September.

However it added that, without her son's consent, no specific details about his care would be shared.

The NHS trust's chief executive, Ifti Majid, said: "We are committed to providing high quality, safe care and feedback from patients, their families and carers is important to us.

"We always aim to care for people in the least restrictive way and to support people to live well in their own homes and communities.

"We always take concerns raised very seriously and will work directly with the patient and their family to resolve any concerns and ensure they are confident in the quality of care provided.

"Once again, I want to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring all our patients and their families receive the care they deserve and our communities feel safe."

'Inherent risk'

A review published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on Tuesday found "a series of errors, omissions and misjudgements" by mental health services in relation to Calocane's treatment.

It said Calocane's relatives had contacted staff treating him to say his illness was worsening but their concerns were not always acted on.

The review found this had also happened to other families.

It also said "key" risk factors in Calocane's case had either been missed or omitted, including his refusal to take medicine, his persistent symptoms of psychosis and level of violence towards other people.

Without action, it said, the issues identified would "continue to pose an inherent risk to... public safety".

Health Secretary Wes Streeting met the families of Calocane's victims last week and has said he expects the recommendations from the CQC's report to be applied nationally.

The Department of Health and the Attorney General's Office both told the BBC the prime minister's commitment to a judge-led public inquiry into the attacks still stood.

However, the families have insisted the inquiry must be statutory, with powers to compel witnesses to provide evidence.

In its report, the CQC said NHS England would be carrying out "more detailed scrutiny" of Calocane's wider interaction with mental health services in its "independent homicide review".

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