The mum of a Nottingham knife attack victim says she feels “let down” after learning BBC Panorama will air interviews with the killer’s family.
Emma Webber’s son Barnaby and his friend Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocana in June last year.
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Emma Webber says she feels ‘let down’ after learning BBC’s Panorama is to air interviews with killer Valdo Calocane’s family Credit: Rex
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Nottingham stabbing victims, from left: Ian Coates, 65, Barnaby Webber and his friend Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19 Credit: PA
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Calocane was given a hospital warrant for manslaughter by diminished responsibilityCredit: PA
Paranoid schizophrenic Calocane (32) received a hospital order for manslaughter with diminished responsibility.
Emma says she now faces “unimaginable horror” after being told two weeks ago that the BBC will air an episode of Panorama entitled The Nottingham Attacks: A Search For Answers tomorrow.
The program is believed to relate to Calocane’s deteriorating mental health and NHS treatment leading up to the attack.
But Emma said the victims’ families were not offered the chance to contribute to it and the BBC refused to let them see it before it aired or give them an idea of its content.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting is understood to have also raised concerns with the BBC about the lack of engagement with victims’ families and urged them to allow them to see it before broadcast.
Emma, 51, said: “All three families are very disappointed and upset about the way this has been handled.
“We feel very let down, very disappointed. We expected better – we deserve better.
“The thought of seeing that family – seeing their faces and hearing their voices – brings me unimaginable horror.
“It is so alarming and causes so much stress and trauma to people who are already devastated. It’s almost cruel.”
After learning about the program, Emma complained – but the Panorama editor told her it was in the public interest so it would continue.
Heartbroken parents of Nottingham attack victims retrace steps to where students were stabbed one year after tragedy
Emma accused the Beeb of failing in its duty of care and its editorial policy.
She said: “This is my son we are talking about. This is the story of that monster that brutally and ferociously attacked and killed him.
“It’s an absolute horror. Every waking moment my mind is haunted by what that person did to my son.
“Any investigative journalism that helps uncover all the flaws in this horror is welcome. But the way it’s been carried out by the BBC worries me, because I can’t see how it’s balanced without us being involved or knowing about the content beforehand.”
The BBC said: “We have our deepest sympathies with the families and the Panorama team were extremely aware of the sensitivity in handling this programme. They were in contact with the bereaved families to tell them about the program and provide an outline of the editorial focus.
“This very public interest inquiry examines the deterioration of Valdo Calocane’s mental health and questions whether there were systemic failings and missed opportunities in his interactions with mental health services in the three years leading up to the horrific event in Nottingham last year.
“The documentary was produced in accordance with the BBC’s editorial guidelines.”
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Source: HIS Education