Valdo Calocane, 32, will not face life imprisonment after his appeal was rejected by the Court of Appeal, affirming his indefinite hospital order for the manslaughter of three individuals in Nottingham last year. The court upheld the decision for Calocane, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and experienced a severe psychotic episode during the attacks. He killed Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and 65-year-old Ian Coates, subsequently attempting to kill three more people.
The sentences sprung from an incident on June 13, where, after the killings, Calocane stole a van and hit three pedestrians before his arrest. He admitted to manslaughter by diminished responsibility. This legal plea led to public dissent, prompting Solicitor General Robert Courts to contest the original sentence as "unduly lenient" and propose a hybrid order combining hospital treatment followed by life imprisonment.
However, senior judges including Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sided with the initial ruling, suggesting Calocane is likely to spend his life in secure hospital care. They highlighted unanimous expert testimony confirming his severe mental condition during the crimes and determined the priority to be public safety. The appeals by the Solicitor General were dismissed as misconceived, and the court concluded no legal errors were made in the initial sentencing.