We're ending our live coverage of the findings of a review into the Nottingham attacks.

As a reminder, the review found prosecutors were right to accept manslaughter pleas from the killer Valdo Calocane but said they could have handled the case better.

The victims' families said they were "disappointed but not entirely surprised" with the report's findings.

You can read the full details from the report here.

This live page was edited by Emily McGarvey and Sam Hancock. The writers were Ruth Comerford, Ece Goksede and Gavin Bevis.

We're going to end our live coverage soon, so let's have one final look at the key findings from today's report.

Inspectors conclude CPS made right call

His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), carrying out the review, found that prosecutors made the correct decision in accepting Valdo Calocane's guilty pleas to manslaughter, on the basis of diminished responsibility, rather than murder.

Remember, it was found that Calocane had been suffering with paranoid schizophrenia when he carried out the attacks.

Government urged to review murder laws

The report urged government ministers to review how murder laws work in England. It suggested changing the categorisation of murder into three tiers - first degree murder, second degree murder and manslaughter - as recommended by the Law Commission almost 20 years ago.

Finding that families could've been better supported

While the report concluded that prosecutors had complied with the law, it also found that the CPS could've "better supported" victims' families. The review asks the government “whether support provided by the existing Victims’ Code and Bereaved Family Scheme should be reconsidered - clarifying when victims are entitled to be "consulted" about decisions, rather than being "informed".

The families of those killed were disappointed by the decision to accept Calocane's manslaughter plea.

Image source, PA Media

Since the findings of a review into the CPS's prosecution of Valdo Calocane were published earlier, we've heard from family members of the three people who were killed during the June 2023 Nottingham attacks.

Here's a reminder of what they've said.

Emma Webber, the mother of 19-year-old Barnaby, who was stabbed to death by Calocane, said it was "abhorrent" the charge had been downgraded to manslaughter:

"Until the law changes in this country, the diminished responsibility charge and plea means that murderers can get way with murder".

Ian Coates' son James said the CPS had offered "no opportunity" for the families to "disagree and push back" on the charges:

"We felt we were told what was going to happen and we weren't given an option."

And fellow student Grace O'Malley-Kumar's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, questioned whether "a paranoid schizophrenic can commit murder in this country", adding:

"Because it seems to me that you can't, and that's impossible for us to understand."

For context: It was decided by inspectors today that the CPS made the right decision in accepting Calocane's guilty pleas to manslaughter, on the basis of diminished responsibility, rather than murder.

We've just heard from Julian Hendy, director of the Hundred Families charity, which supports the relatives of victims of mentally ill killers.

He describes today's report as "very disappointing" and suggests His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) - who carried out the review - failed to "critically evaluated the evidence".

"They appear to have accepted without question or challenge what they have been told," he tells the PA news agency, adding there are "serious questions about the quality of evidence and decision making in this case that remain unanswered".

Hendy adds: "This report is clearly a missed opportunity. It will do little to reassure the affected families that agencies are really learning from this tragedy."

Dame Vera Baird, who was victims' commissioner for England and Wales until 2022, has reacted to the report's findings.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme, she says she can understand how families could get more satisfaction from a murder charge, as opposed to manslaughter. “I am very concerned about the findings of this report," she says. "Families feel very unsupported.”

The "criminal justice system plays a role in restoring victims who we have allowed to become victims because the state has allowed the crime to occur,” Baird goes on, adding that the CPS "needs to look much more closely at the way they treat victims".

Of Valdo Calocane - whose manslaughter pleas were accepted after it was found that he had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia - Baird says the attacks were "very well planned by a person who was completely deluded, running under completely different reality from the rest of us".

Image source, Reuters

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has given its response to the inspectors' report.

Stephen Parkinson, director of public prosecutions, says: "Valdo Calocane’s actions were shocking. He acted without mercy, devastating the lives of those who were directly affected: those who survived and the families of those who were killed. All of them have my deepest sympathy."

He continues: “In tragic and complex circumstances such as these, the CPS has difficult decisions to make, but must always act with independence and professionalism.

"I believe that our team did so in this case, and with considerable dedication and commitment.

"I am grateful to the Inspectorate for the care and thoroughness with which they have reviewed our actions.

"We will carefully consider the report’s findings.”

Grace O'Malley-Kumar's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, says: "I think the first question you have to ask... is can a paranoid schizophrenic commit murder in this country?"

You can watch that clip below:

How central should victims be in the justice system?published at 13:48 Greenwich Mean Time 25 March

13:48 GMT 25 March

Mark Easton
Home editor

This case reignites the debate about the role of victims in the criminal justice system.

Since 2002, when the Labour government said it intended to “place the victim at the heart of the criminal process”, far greater emphasis has been put on ensuring victims are supported, informed and respected.

But, since medieval times, the law in England and Wales does not allow individual victims to influence the actions of the courts. Prosecutions are conducted on behalf of the Crown, not the victim, with a focus on objective testing of evidence, rather than emotion.

The inspectorate said today that “the narrative of putting victims at the heart of the criminal justice system is leading to false expectations”.

It recommends the CPS reviews its guidance on engaging with victims and notes the Victims and Prisoners Bill going through Parliament might offer an opportunity for greater clarity.

In 2009, the Commons’ Justice Committee said pretty much the same thing: “Telling a victim that their views are central to the criminal justice system, or that the prosecutor is their champion, is a damaging misrepresentation of reality. Expectations have been raised that will inevitably be disappointed.”

Fifteen years later, today’s report proves this point’s prescience. “We are aware that our findings will be disappointing for the families,” it says.

If you're just joining us, we've received the findings of an urgent review into the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) handling of the Nottingham attacks case.

Here are five key things you need to know:

• His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) found that prosecutors made the correct decision in accepting Valdo Calocane's guilty pleas to manslaughter, on the basis of diminished responsibility, rather than murder
• Inspectors have urged the government to consider changing the categorisation of murder into three tiers - first degree murder, second degree murder and manslaughter - as recommended by the Law Commission almost 20 years ago
• The CPS was committed to providing a good service to victims' families, the report said, but there were elements where it could have "better supported" them
• Ministers should review whether the support provided by the existing Victims’ Code and Bereaved Family Scheme should be reconsidered, it adds, with more clarity provided on when victims are entitled to be "consulted" about decisions taken as opposed to being "informed"
• The families of the victims have reacted to the report, with Barnaby Webber's mother Emma saying that "until the law changes in the country, the diminished responsibility charge and plea means that murderers can get away with murder"

Ian Coates' son James says the families of the victims "can't breathe until everything is done and dusted".

"We can't see when it's going to finish," he says.

"Its been made a lot easier by being able to support each other".

Asked about his grievances with the charges, he says there was "no opportunity to disagree and push back, we felt we were told what was going to happen and we weren't given an option".

Here's some more reaction from the victims' families.

Grace O'Malley-Kumar's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, says: "I think the first question you have to ask... is can a paranoid schizophrenic commit murder in this country?

"Because it seems to me that you can't. And that's impossible for us to understand."

He also asks why Calocane wasn't tested for drugs and alcohol after he was arrested. "Why were basic checks not carried out?"

He says the "key questions" would have formed "parts of the defence" and those questions "have not been answered at all".

Emma Webber, the mother of 19-year-old Barnaby, who was stabbed to death during the Nottingham attacks, is continuing to give her reaction to today's report.

Speaking to journalists, she says she's "disappointed but not entirely surprised" by the findings.

"It's abhorrent that [the charge] can be downgraded to manslaughter, just because it's how the law is stated," she says, adding that "until the law changes in this country, the diminished responsibility charge and plea means that murderers can get way with murder".

"As a very eminent minister said to us recently, 'just because it's law doesn't mean it's right'," she adds.

As a reminder, inspectors have concluded that prosecutors were right to accept Valdo Calocane's manslaughter pleas, on the basis of diminished responsibility, after it was found that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attacks.

Within the report, there's some reaction from HMCPSI's chief inspector Anthony Rogers, who describes the case as "horrific and tragic":

He adds that his thoughts remain with the families and friends of those killed and injured during the attacks.

The review into the handling of the Nottingham attack case by the CPS found that prosecutors complied with the law and met their obligations to the families of Calocane's victims, but also highlighted areas where grieving relatives "could have been better supported".

The case "brings into stark relief the disconnect that can exist between the reality of being in the system and what support there is available", the report says.

It adds that the families' concerns and the "public disquiet about this case highlights aspects where further consideration is needed", as it set out how the government should act.

The mother of Barnaby Webber, one of the three people who were killed in the Nottingham attacks, says the law means "murderers can get away with murder".

Watch her reaction below:

The report into the Nottingham attacks also found that inspectors believe the government should review and consider murder laws.

Specifically, they ask:

• Whether murder should be categorised in three tiers, as recommended by the Law Commission in 2006
• Whether the culpability of the person who commits murder should be reduced to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility
• If murder isn't categorised in three tiers and diminished responsibility is not to be a partial defence to murder, should the mandatory life sentence remain for all cases of murder
• Whether support provided by the existing Victims’ Code and Bereaved Family Scheme should be reconsidered - clarifying when victims are entitled to be "consulted" about decisions, rather than being "informed"

The decision to accept Valdo Calocane's guilty pleas of manslaughter, on the basis of diminished responsibility following attacks in Nottingham that killed three people, was correct, a review has found.

A review of the actions taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the case found prosecutors complied with the law.

The report was ordered by Attorney General Victoria Prentis following complaints from the victims' families, after prosecutors decided not to pursue murder charges for Calocane.

The victims' families have already reacted to the statement. Barnaby Webber's mother, Emma Webber, says the law means "murderers can get away with murder".

She adds:

Image source, PA Media

As we've reported already, Valdo Calocane was charged with manslaughter not murder following the attacks - here's why.

Before that night, Calocane had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. It was later discovered he had stopped taking his medication before the attacks.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said medical experts had provided "overwhelming" evidence that he was suffering from a serious mental health condition, including hearing voices in his head telling him his family would be harmed unless he did what they told him to do.

Three psychiatrists were asked to analyse Calocane's condition and all agreed it "impaired his ability to exercise self-control". And after a fourth expert reviewed their reports, prosecutors concluded there was "no realistic prospect of conviction for murder".

The judge said the psychiatric evidence did not detract from the "horror of the offences, but said Calocane's abnormality of mind "significantly contributed" to him perpetrating the attacks.

Here are the key dates to know in this case, which police have described as "one of the most brutal and horrific incidents in the history of Nottingham":

13 June 2023: Students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates, are fatally stabbed in a seemingly random attack. Three others are injured after being hit by a van

16 June: After a police manhunt for the suspect, Valdo Calocane is charged with three counts of murder

28 November: Calocane denies three counts of murder but admits three counts of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility. He admits to attempted murder of the three people he injured while driving a stolen van

25 January 2024: At a Nottingham Crown Court hearing, Calocane is given a hospital order after the 32-year-old was found to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attacks

20 February: Attorney General Victoria Prentis refers the sentence to the Court of Appeal

25 March: Report detailing that review is published

Image source, Getty Images

Valdo Calocane is being held in Ashworth Hospital, a high security institution in Maghull, 10 miles north-east of Liverpool.

It's one of three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, along with Broadmoor and Rampton, and is part of the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

It has capacity for 288 patients and the personality disorder unit contains five locked wards, where patients are individually monitored for 24 hours a day. The hospital has security perimeters similar to a category B prison.

Patients have included Ian Brady, one of the so-called Moors murderers, who spent more than 30 years at Ashworth after also being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He died there in 2017.