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Valdo Calocane brother tells inquiry he felt powerless over killer’s mental ill health
TL;DR
Elias Calocane testified that he felt powerless regarding his brother Valdo's mental health issues before Valdo's fatal attack in Nottingham. Valdo, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, killed three people and injured three others in June 2023.
Key points
- Elias Calocane felt powerless over his brother's mental health.
- Valdo Calocane killed three people in Nottingham on June 13, 2023.
- He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020.
- Elias received violent and paranoid messages from Valdo before his first hospital admission.
- The inquiry is examining the events leading to the attacks.
Mentioned in this story
Valdo CalocaneElias CalocaneBarnaby WebberGrace O’Malley-KumarIan CoatesNottingham
The younger brother of Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in an attack in Nottingham, said he felt “powerless” over his sibling’s mental ill health and believed violent messages his brother had sent concerned suicidal thoughts.
Valdo Cacocane, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, stabbed to death Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, on 13 June 2023, and seriously injured three others.
Calocane’s younger brother, Elias, gave evidence to the Nottingham inquiry for the first time on Wednesday, which is looking at the events leading up to the attacks.
During his evidence, Elias was asked about several messages he received from Calocane in 2020, before his first hospital admission, which contained violence and paranoia about technology.
From left, Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar who were killed by Valdo Calocane in June 2023. Photograph: Nottinghamshire police/PA
In one message, Calocane said he was “thinking about red rum”, which is murder spelt backwards. In another, Calocane told his brother he wanted to “hurt permanently”.
Elias repeatedly told the inquiry that from 2020 until the attacks in Nottingham in 2023, he had a “belief” Calocane would take his own life.
The inquiry saw messages Calocane had sent Elias where he described “immense anguish, paranoia, anger, hatred” and that he had the “darkest thoughts”.
Elias told the inquiry that he believed an “I love you” message he received from his brother in January 2020 was a “goodbye message”.
Counsel to the inquiry, Rachel Langdale KC, suggested to Elias that the messages sent by Calocane did not explicitly state he was going to hurt himself. He responded: “If you take the messages around it, there’s no other subject other than Valdo, right?
“He’s talking about the situation, the monitoring thing, feeling immense anguish and talking about it being overwhelming.”
He added: “I guess maybe it’s difficult for people to read these [text] messages now without the context of what happened on the 13th of June and I completely understand that.
“At this point, Valdo had never been violent at all to anyone. He was a very calm and peaceful person as far as I can remember.”
Q&A
What did Valdo Calocane's brother say about his mental health?
Elias Calocane expressed feeling powerless over Valdo's mental health issues and mentioned violent messages that suggested suicidal thoughts.
What were the circumstances of Valdo Calocane's attack in Nottingham?
On June 13, 2023, Valdo Calocane stabbed to death three individuals, including two teenagers and a caretaker, while injuring three others.
When was Valdo Calocane diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia?
Valdo Calocane was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, prior to his first hospital admission.
What is the purpose of the Nottingham inquiry regarding the attacks?
The Nottingham inquiry aims to investigate the events leading up to Valdo Calocane's attacks and assess the circumstances surrounding his mental health.
