Attacks in Nottingham: Son finds no closure one year after the attacks

A year after his father was stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane, Lee Coates says he is still suffering from the trauma of that fateful day.

The 37-year-old told the BBC that his mental health had been affected by the aftermath of the Nottingham attacks – which also killed 19-year-old students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Weber.

The son says he is still trying to cope with the loss of his father Ian.

He and the families of the other victims have vowed to continue their “pursuit of justice” on this day, when a series of events are planned across the city to mourn their loss.

“I got – I don’t know if you can call it PTSD – but I closed my eyes and could only imagine what had happened that night,” he said.

“It has to keep going through your head, how your own father was left lying there.”

The 37-year-old said he had begun to “deal with grief” after Calocane’s trial, but he had “not found closure.”

“I think after that it started to affect me a lot more and I realized it was really damaging my mental health.”

Calocane was sentenced to indefinite detention after admitting manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.

According to the CPS, medical experts had presented “overwhelming” evidence that he was suffering from a serious mental illness at the time of the attacks.

His sentence was challenged by the victims’ families, but judges ruled in May that it was not unduly lenient after the Attorney General referred it to the Court of Appeal for review.

Coates’ youngest son said he was “very, very angry” but was feeling better now. He added: “I never used to think about my dad every day. Now I definitely think about him every day.”

“So before I leave my apartment, there’s a picture of my father hanging there and I say to myself, ‘I’m going to make you proud,’ just like he made me proud.”

On Thursday, Huntingdon Academy in St. Ann’s, where Mr Coates worked as a caretaker, is holding a special day in his memory.

His son said: “He doesn’t want to see his name on anything. He’s very quiet, he likes to be the background figure who just makes sure everyone else is OK.”

He added that the love he and his family have received from the city “has helped more than words ever could.”

“I think if my father looked down, he would have a little tear in his eye too.”

By Olimpia Zagnat, BBC Nottingham

On June 13 last year, there was an eerie atmosphere in the city centre when I arrived to find the Victoria Shopping Centre completely cordoned off by police cars and firefighters.

It was about seven in the morning and you could feel that something very serious had happened.

For a moment it seemed as if the clocks had stood still – no trams or buses were running and rush hour traffic could not get through.

Everyone who was stranded in the city center made their way to work or school on foot.

The shocking scenes in our city made national headlines before we even knew what was really going on – and the more we learned, the worse it got.

It is a day that we – all the people of Nottingham – will never forget.

A year after the Nottingham attacks, families will walk along Ilkeston Road, where Miss O’Malley-Kumar and Mr Webber were stabbed, and lay flowers.

There will also be a ceremony at the University of Nottingham.

Shearer West, the university’s vice-chancellor, said: “We came together as a community last year when this terrible event happened and I think it is really important that we come together again.

“I am really proud of how our university community has come together over the last year, and I think we should continue to remember our amazing students Barney and Grace a year later.”

Meanwhile, the families of the victims said they had accepted the assistance of legal experts while awaiting the results of further investigations into the case.

In a statement released Thursday, the families said the anniversary was “not the day for a fight” but vowed to continue working together in the future.

In a joint statement Thursday, the victims’ families said: “Today we will take time and pause to reflect on this tragic day and remember the souls of the three vibrant, caring, hard-working and beloved family members who are no longer with us.”

“Today is not the day to fight. But tomorrow (June 14) is.”

“We continue our persistent pursuit of appropriate justice, individual and organizational accountability, and truly sustainable change in our society and laws that provide greater protection and public safety, appropriate punishment for crimes, and adequate support for victims and their families.”

The families acknowledged Calocane’s diagnosis of mental illness, but said “he knew what he was doing, he knew it was wrong, but he did it anyway.”

They added: “We will leave no stone unturned and continue, no matter how long this may take.”