Mother of son murdered during Nottingham attacks slams police after families 'left completely in the dark' about stalker
The unnamed man is believed to have travelled to Somerset to try to contact relatives of Barnaby Webber
The family of student Barnaby Webber who was killed in the Nottingham attacks have hit out at police after their relatives were not warned that a mentally ill man was "fixated" on the case.
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The man is believed to have travelled to Somerset to try to contact the family of University of Nottingham undergraduate Barnaby.
The 19-year-old was killed by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane during the attacks in June 2023 alongside his friend Grace O’Malley-Kumar, also 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates.
It emerged this week that an unnamed man, said to have a history of concerning behaviour and links to the Government’s Prevent anti-extremism programme, claimed to have been offering his help.
However, he also reportedly attended the GP surgery of Grace's father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, but police failed to tell bereaved families that they were being stalked and downplayed the risk the man posed.
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Barnaby's mother, Emma Webber said: "Today’s revelations are yet another devastating example of the incompetence and institutional failure that has come to define the response of Nottinghamshire Police and the IOPC to our family.
"We are told that a mentally ill man with a fixation on the Nottingham attacks, a history of concerning behaviour, and links to Prevent was able to travel to our hometown, actively seek out our family and the families of other victims, yet we were left completely in the dark.
"We were given no warning, no safeguarding advice, and no opportunity to take steps to protect ourselves, our workplaces, or our son Charlie’s school."
She added: "For a family already living with the unimaginable trauma of losing Barnaby to a man who was known to services, known to have serious mental health issues, and known to present risks that were repeatedly missed, this latest revelation is utterly chilling.
"The idea that another individual displaying seemingly similar warning signs was able to travel across the country seeking us out, potentially visiting places connected to our family and our community, without us being told, is terrifying.
"Every parent will understand the fear that comes with learning, long after the event, that someone of concern may have been in close proximity to your home, your workplace, or your child’s school.
"What is perhaps most disturbing is that this information was not withheld for days or weeks, but for many months.
"During that time, officials were apparently discussing the matter internally, preparing profiles and consulting lawyers, while the families most directly affected remained uninformed and unprotected."
An inquiry into the attacks was held earlier in the summer and heard from 164 witnesses, in which chairwoman, Her Honour Deborah Taylor, is expected to report back with her findings and recommendations next year.
The IOPC said it received a referral of a complaint from Nottinghamshire Police in relation to information the force allegedly withheld from the families of Calocane's victims about a potential witness who had tried to contact them.
A spokesperson added: "We are now assessing the referral to decide what further action is required.
"After originally receiving information from Nottinghamshire Police we spoke to a potential witness in January 2025 in connection with our investigation concerning the force’s interactions with Calocane prior to the attacks.
"We did however make the force aware of the information provided by the witness so it could take the appropriate safeguarding measures."
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson added: "We received a complaint and due to the nature of the complaint referred the matter to the IOPC on August 24 and are awaiting their response.
"Unfortunately, we cannot comment any further at this stage while an investigation is under way. We have updated the complainant throughout the process."