Nottingham attacks NHS trust faces manslaughter probe

Dr Sanjoy Kumar, Grace O’Malley-Kumar’s father, said he was “delighted” the “very high threshold” for a corporate manslaughter investigation had been met and believed it was “crucial” to avoid future deaths.

He told the BBC: “I think what the inquiry showed us is that the failings weren’t just at the senior management, they went all through this organisation, all the way from the people who work with the parents, all the way to the top.”

“I think this mental health trust failed catastrophically, and from every angle.

“I think it [the investigation] will put every mental health trust across the country on notice so that these catastrophic failings don’t happen again.”

In a statement, Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber – who had been walking from a night out with Grace when they were attacked – said the investigation signified the “beginning of the reckoning” and accountability the families had been calling for.

“This has to be the line in the sand – when those who fail, neglect and cover up, from the leaders at the top down, are fully held to account and made to recognise their failures,” she said.

“This includes chief executives, chairmen of the board, non-executive and executive board members, as well as the negligent clinicians, practitioners and hospital managers who over a sustained period failed to manage and recognise the threat posed by Valdo Calocane.

“We now ask that, for the first time, all of those involved who will be required to participate do so with full candour and transparency.”