A student shattered her back leaping 10ft from a window in May 2020 to escape Valdo Calocane — three years before he stabbed three people to death in Nottingham, a public inquiry revealed.
Terrifying Escape from Paranoid Schizophrenic
Feven, 22 at the time, broke her vertebrae and needed surgery after jumping from her flat when Calocane, suffering paranoid schizophrenia, tried to kick down her door.
Police visited her a week after her hospital discharge, saying, “You were very brave. If you hadn’t jumped, many things could have happened – he could have killed or seriously harmed you.”
But despite police warnings, officers told her Calocane had been sectioned but “could not be jailed” because of mental health issues. Speaking through an interpreter, Feven said: “I was very upset. The damage he caused will last forever. When they said he wasn’t being prosecuted, I felt disappointed and angry.”
Missed Warning Signs: Police Let Killer Walk Hours Before Attack
The horrific ordeal came just 45 minutes after Calocane was released by police for trying to break into another neighbour’s home. He was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, and during custody, a psychiatric nurse noted he was “hearing voices” and seemed psychotic.
Despite this, a mental health team decided not to section him, citing evidence about “over-representation of young black males in detention.” Calocane was freed — only to attack Feven moments later.
The inquiry also heard police logs never formally linked the two attacks. Inspector Katie Eustace, who arrested Calocane initially, admitted she “cannot find” the bodycam footage marked for retention.
When asked if the case got the attention it deserved, Eustace bluntly responded: “No, I don’t think it was.”
Aftermath and Fatal Consequences
PC Richard Marsden, who attended to Feven’s attack and visited her after, denied telling her “it could have been much worse.” However, he agreed police should have connected the two incidents.
Fast forward to 13 June 2023, Calocane stabbed students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before trying to run down pedestrians. Convicted of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, he was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024.
The inquiry into failings linked to these attacks is ongoing and will deliver a full report next year.
