Nottingham attack families back police watchdog's probe into top cop cover-up claims

The Chief Constable will face an Independent Office for Police Conduct probe after she allegedly tried to stop journalists revealing knifeman Valdo Calocane had been reported TWICE to cops for stalking

A Chief Constable is to be investigated by the police watchdog over claims that she covered up failings linked to the Nottingham stabbings.

Kate Meynell will face an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) probe after she allegedly tried to stop journalists revealing knifeman Valdo Calocane had been reported twice to cops for stalking before killing Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates in 2023.

Ms Meynell called a private press briefing to reveal the two incidents – but then made reporters sign Non-Disclosure Agreements forbidding them from publishing what she said.

After the Nottingham Post revealed the alleged gagging attempt, the victims’ furious families sent a formal complaint to the city’s Police and Crime Commissioner, claiming the press briefing in February was improper and a bid to avoid negative headlines.

Last night, the relatives said of the coming probe: “It is no less than she deserves.”

In a joint statement, they said: “We welcome news that the appalling actions and decisions of Kate Meynell, the Chief Constable of a failing police force, will be fully investigated. We believe she chose to hold a non-reportable media briefing to withhold information and shackle the press from reporting further gross actions of her force.”

The families lost their loved ones when paranoid schizophrenic Calocane, 32, went on a rampage through Nottingham’s streets in June last year.

He knifed students Barnaby and Grace, both 19, as they returned from a night out in the early hours. He then stabbed school caretaker Ian, 65, and stole his van, crashing it into three people who suffered serious injuries.

Nottingham’s Police and Crime Commissioner referred the families’ complaint to the IOPC –which has decided Meynell’s conduct warrants an independent investigation seeking to establish whether an offence has been committed.

If criminal, it will be dealt with by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Other outcomes could include
disciplinary proceedings or a change in police policy.

It follows calls for Ms Meynell to step aside after it emerged her son was among officers who exchanged graphic details about the killings via WhatsApp.

The current complaint about the chief is one of three being probed by the IOPC, along with Leicestershire Police, the others covering the force’s previous contact with Calocane and their handling of the investigation.

Nottinghamshire Police’s involvement is separately being probed by the College of Policing, in a review commissioned by the Police and Crime Commissioner. And probes have been prompted into the NHS over alleged failings on Calocane’s mental health and the Crown Prosecution Service for its handling of his case, with families complaining of feeling “unsupported”.

In August, the Attorney General and Health Secretary confirmed a public inquiry into the attacks.

The families want the inquiry to be statutory and judge-led.

Calocane was given an indefinite hospital order after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The Attorney General deemed the sentence unduly lenient and tried to have jailed time included but this was rejected by the Court of Appeal.

Barnaby’s mum, Emma Webber, said: “The agony we are forced to endure is unimaginable. No victims or families deserve to be treated like this. Change has to happen – those in senior roles who grossly fail, lie and/or make poor decisions that result in catastrophic outcomes must be held accountable.

“Our message to those individuals in both police forces and also the Nottingham Mental Health trust is we will not stop until this has happened.

“Our serious con-cerns regarding the quality and culpability of reports and investigations mean our call for a full judge-led statutory public inquiry is the only possible outcome – without this, the truth will not come out. We press our government to announce when this will start. Why can’t those who have not done jobs properly be honest and take the consequences?”

Ms Meynell took over at Nottinghamshire Police in 2022. The force declined to comment.

The IOPC said: “We are looking at the force’s decision to hold a non-reportable briefing for media in February. Our inquiries include assessing the content of the briefing, the communication of that briefing to the families and whether it was conducted in line with relevant policies and procedures.”