The Big Cases: The Nottingham Attacks, 8 April 2024, BBC One

On a warm summer night in 2023, Nottingham became the scene of a tragic and unthinkable act of violence. Three young lives were abruptly cut short in a series of senseless stabbings that shocked the nation. Now, nearly a year later, BBC One presents “The Big Cases: The Nottingham Attacks,” a profound examination of that fateful night and the lives forever altered by it.

On 13 June 2023, a series of stabbings shocked the city of Nottingham, resulting in the deaths of three individuals: Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates. The attacker, Valdo Calocane, embarked on a killing spree, fatally stabbing two university students and a school caretaker, as well as injuring three others by driving a van into them.

Grace O’Malley-Kumar, a 19-year-old medical student at the University of Nottingham and an athlete representing her university in hockey and cricket, intervened when Calocane stabbed Barnaby Webber as they were returning home from a night out celebrating their exam results. O’Malley-Kumar’s courageous attempt to save her friend was described as “heroic” and “valiant” by her father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar.

Ian Coates, a 65-year-old school caretaker, was also stabbed to death by Calocane after the initial attack on O’Malley-Kumar and Webber. Calocane, a dual national of Guinea-Bissau and Portugal, was found to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attacks. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was sentenced to be detained indefinitely in a high-security hospital.

The families of the victims have welcomed the review of Calocane’s sentence, with Attorney General Victoria Prentis referring the case to the Court of Appeal as “unduly lenient.” The tragic events of that summer night in Nottingham continue to reverberate, leaving a lasting impact on the city and the loved ones of those lost.

“The Big Cases: The Nottingham Attacks” airs on BBC One at 8:30 pm on Monday, 8 April 2024.