Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane WON'T face tougher sentence as judges throw out appeal for 'unduly lenient' ruling

Calocane pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility of Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, and the attempted murder of three others, in a spate of attacks in Nottingham last year.

Speaking at the hearing at the Court of Appeal, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr concluded there was "no error" in the sentence given by Justice Turner at Nottingham Crown Court in January.

Three senior judges dismissed the bid earlier today, stating that while Calocane’s offences caused "unimaginable grief" his sentence was not unduly lenient as his paranoid schizophrenia was "the sole identified cause of these crimes."

Baroness Carr said: "It is impossible to read of the circumstances of this offending without the greatest possible sympathy for the victims of these terrible attacks, and their family and friends.

"The victim impact statements paint a graphic picture of the appalling effects of the offender’s conduct.

"Had the offender not suffered the mental condition that he did, the sentencing judge would doubtless have been considering a whole life term."

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She added: "But neither the judge nor this court can ignore the medical evidence as to the offender’s condition which led to these dreadful events or the threat to public safety which the offender continues to pose."

In a statement following the Court of Appeal’s decision not to change the sentence of Calocane, Emma Webber, mother of victim Barnaby Webber, said: "Today’s ruling comes as no surprise to the families of the Nottingham attack victims. It was inevitable and was not a review of anything other than the letter of the law as it stands.

“Despite the fact that the Attorney General herself feels that Valdo Calocane did not receive the appropriate sentence, today’s outcome proves how utterly flawed and under-resourced the criminal justice system in the UK is. It also illustrates the need for urgent reforms in the UK homicide law.

“The fact remains, despite the words of the judge, that almost 90 per cent of people serving hospital orders are out within 10 years and 98 per cent within 20 years. In effect, the families now face their own life sentence of ensuring the monster that is Valdo Calocane becomes the next Ian Brady or Fred West and is never released."

Dr Sanjoy Kumar, father of victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar, said: "The Attorney General’s case has not been successful. This is disappointing, but not unexpected.

"The Nottingham attacks were entirely preventable. Nottinghamshire Police failed to produce a warrant for many months, a flawed investigation, no toxicology, over-reliance on psychiatric reports. Leicestershire Police failed to arrest Valdo Calocane. This is a failure of two police forces, a failure of the mental health trust, along with Nottinghamshire (County) Council as well.

"Missed multiple opportunities to prevent the Nottingham attacks and the murder of our children and Ian Coates is what has led us here today. We have continued to pursue agencies that failed us and hold them responsible for the Nottingham attacks, so that no other family is made to suffer like ours.

"We thank everyone for the outpouring of support for our brave and beautiful daughter, Grace."