The police watchdog has re-opened the probe into previous assaults by Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane following the victims’ families request.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) previously concluded that officers failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane which could have stopped his murder spree a month later.
Students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates were killed by Calocane in June 2023.
He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder.
The victim’s families have since slammed medics and police saying they had ‘blood on their hands’ after repeated failings by clinicians as well as Leicestershire Police when it came to the psychotic killer.
On Friday, the IOPC said it will reinvestigate whether Calocane’s previous history and an outstanding arrest warrant were seen by officers before the investigation was closed down.
The IOPC report from February reveals 11 blunders made by the force including, failing to take written statements of the incident, not downloading CCTV footage of the attack as well as no evidence of them contacting witnesses.
There was also no attempt to take Calocane into custody during the investigation, with zero checks made on the Police National Computer or Police National Database in relation to the killer.
If the officers had entered his details into the database they would have seen an arrest warrant for the killer for an assault he had committed against a police officer who he had head-butted the year before.
And even though the Romanian warehouse staff members, who were allegedly attacked by Calocane, spoke little to no English, there was no offer of a translator to help communicate with officers.
The regulatory body described the probe into Calocane’s alleged assault on the employees as ‘exceptionally poor’, whilst adding it was a ‘missed opportunity’ to prevent the frenzied attack in the East Midlands city.
The victim’s families have hit out at the police force as well as the IOPC branding their probe as ‘very poor quality’ as they say they’re disappointed by the conclusion.
They told The Sun: ‘The damning failures exposed by this investigation are just another example of how our loved ones were badly failed by the authorities.
‘If the police had just done their jobs properly by performing a simple check on the Police National Computer, Barnaby, Grace and Ian might still be alive today.
‘Their failure to do even the most basic of policing means they have to live with the consequences of what happened.’
They continued: ‘The police force in question and the watchdog supposed to hold them to account are not fit for purpose.’
A statement from the IOPC today reads: ‘We have made our decision after the force provided new evidence, which had not previously been available to the IOPC.
‘This followed representations by the bereaved families which led to further enquiries with Leicestershire Police.
‘Our investigation into Leicestershire Police’s handling of the assault allegations against Calocane concluded in September last year (2024). As a result, three officers were due to face a misconduct meeting, which the force postponed.
‘We will be reinvestigating whether information in relation to Calocane’s previous history and an outstanding warrant for his arrest was seen by the officers before the investigation was closed down.’
IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: ‘Our sympathies remain with the families of Ian, Barnaby and Grace. We have received a number of representations from them, and we have responded as soon as we were in a position to provide the additional details requested.
‘This is consistent with our policy to share evidence with interested parties so they can effectively participate in our investigations. ‘For a matter to be reopened by the IOPC it has to meet one or more criteria including significant new information coming to light that requires further investigation.
‘That applies in this case and after careful consideration of this new information we are carrying out further enquiries in respect of what officers actually saw on police systems about Calocane, and in particular an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Those who are closely impacted by our decision, including the bereaved families and the officers involved, have been notified and we will complete this work as quickly as possible.
‘Any decision on the disciplinary outcome of our investigation will only be made once the new evidence and the results of these enquiries have been analysed.
‘Our Director General, Rachel Watson, has offered to meet with the families of Ian, Barnaby and Grace to discuss this development and any concerns they may have.’