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Mental health nurse admits errors in killer's records
At a Nottingham public inquiry, nurse Busayo Ajewole admitted errors inRisk assessments and notes about Valdo Calocane, the man later linked to a 2023 spate of killings. The testimony detailed missing information, copied entries, and inaccurate conclusions in records from 2020, raising questions about risk assessment and information sharing.
Why It Matters
The case highlights how incomplete or erroneous documentation in mental health care can affect risk assessment and public safety, and it questions coordination between healthcare providers and agencies.
Timeline
13 Events
April 27, 2026: Indefinite hospital order and guilty pleas
April 27, 2026
Calocane is currently serving an indefinite hospital order at a high-security facility after pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder.
April 27, 2026: Messages to brother not shown to others
April 27, 2026
The inquiry heard Calocane had sent text messages to his brother expressing thoughts of violence; those messages were given to his inpatient consultant Dr Faizal Seedat but not shown to other mental health workers or agencies.
April 27, 2026: Nottingham Inquiry hears Dr Omar Manzar's evidence
April 27, 2026
Dr Omar Manzar, involved with four of Calocane's assessments, told the inquiry it was astonishing the University of Nottingham was not made aware of his assault on a police officer and other incidents.
June 13, 2023: Nottingham killings
June 13, 2023
Calocane stabbed to death Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, and attempted to kill three others in Nottingham.
September 2021: Expected return to university studies
September 2021
Calocane was due to return to studies at the University of Nottingham in September 2021 after taking a break due to his mental health.
July 14–July 31, 2020: Transfer back to ward after new entry attempt
July 14, 2020
He was transferred back to the same ward on 14 July until 31 July 2020 after he tried to force entry to another neighbour's flat.
May 25, 2020: Assault on police officer during detention
May 25, 2020
During the May 2020 detention, Calocane headbutted and repeatedly punched a police officer and had to be Tasered and restrained.
May 25, 2020: First admission to Highbury Hospital
May 25, 2020
Calocane was admitted to a psychiatric ward at Highbury Hospital from 25 May 2020 to 17 June 2020.
May 24, 2020: Break-in at a neighbour's flat
May 24, 2020
Calocane broke into a woman's flat, an incident linked to subsequent events leading to psychiatric care.
May 2020: Inpatient summary notes describe anger and aggression; risk form lacks these details
May 2020
The patient summary noted he arrived with multiple police officers and was angry and agitated, but the risk assessment form did not mention these details.
May 2020: Wording indicating the man was 'polite and gentle' appears in records
May 2020
One entry contained the phrase 'Valdo is usually a very polite and gentle, personable young man', with no clear source identified.
May 2020: Risk assessment corrections noted
May 2020
Following detention, Ajewole updated a form used to assess patients' risk and recorded no past history of mental health difficulties and no past history of violence and aggression, which was later acknowledged as an error.
May 2020: Calocane presents with psychosis to NHFT
May 2020
Calocane first presented to Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust with symptoms of psychosis in May 2020 after breaking into a neighbour's flat at Brook Court, Radford, Nottingham.