Prison staff could face criminal charges over Nottingham stabbings files, families say voyeurism

Prison staff could face criminal charges after allegedly accessing records related to the Nottingham stabbings in 2023, in which two University of Nottingham students were killed and a 65-year-old school caretaker was attacked.

The victims were Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, who were killed by Valdo Calocane, and Ian Coates, 65, who died in the attack on June 13, 2023, as the assailant allegedly targeted others. Prosecutors and police have not said whether any staff will be charged, but investigators have said they are examining whether offences under the Computer Misuse Act occurred after unauthorised access to files and images relating to the case.

The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit is leading the inquiry into the alleged access by staff at courts and prisons, with the Crown Prosecution Service expected to weigh whether there is enough evidence to bring criminal charges, according to the Times. Separately, the Nottingham NHS Foundation Trust said 91 of its staff illegally accessed the victims’ medical records, and the trust apologized while it investigates concerns that some employees may have looked at the files inappropriately.

A spokesman for the trust said there have been no arrests, but voluntary interviews have been carried out. Emma Webber, Barnaby Webber’s mother, told the Daily Mail that while legitimate requests were expected, a significant number of accesses were not, calling the alleged behaviour a “sickening, disrespectful, unprofessional, and a gross invasion of privacy.”

A year before the stabbings, the leader of Nottinghamshire City Council apologized after three council officers accessed police systems to view information about the attack. In addition, a Nottinghamshire Police officer received a final written warning for accessing police files about Calocane without permission and sharing a WhatsApp message detailing the students’ injuries; another staff member was sacked for using police systems to look up details of the murders, and a special constable was dismissed after viewing bodycam footage of the victims before they died.

Ian Coates was also killed in the June 2023 attack. Calocane was later sentenced in January 2024 to an indefinite hospital order after pleading manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder. The families of Grace, Barnaby, and Ian have said they continue to face burdens from official investigations, including allegations that some inquiries were politically motivated or mishandled. Investigators from the Independent Office for Police Conduct have said they are reviewing complaints about how the IOPC handled aspects of the probe, and have commissioned an external party to assist with the review.

Officials from Nottinghamshire Police, Leicestershire Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Ministry of Justice have been contacted for comment as the investigations proceed.