Dr Sinead O'Malley-Kumar said her family may “potentially really crumble” when the Nottingham inquiry ends, as the process reaches its closing stage on Tuesday and Wednesday. The inquiry will then publish its report of findings after hearing more than 100 witnesses about the care and police handling before the Nottingham attacks.
Dr Sinead O'Malley-Kumar
O'Malley-Kumar said the end of the inquiry will be “just the beginning” for her family to grieve. She said, “I think when the public inquiry is over, when these constant revelations start to die down - I hope they will because it's unimaginable - I think that's when we will potentially really crumble.”
She added, “We're trying to establish a legacy for Grace to make the world a better place, to make the country safe, but I think we haven't been able to live a normal life yet.” Her comments came as the inquiry prepared to hear closing statements before issuing findings.
Nottingham Inquiry evidence
The inquiry has heard evidence since February and was commissioned in 2025 after lobbying by the families affected. It examined Valdo Calocane's care, his interactions with police in the years before the attacks, the police response and the aftermath.
Those areas included Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's decision to discharge him months before he killed Grace O'Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates on 13 June 2023. Police also failed to execute an arrest warrant for Calocane that was still in place on the day of the killings.
Calocane and the findings
Calocane had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. In January 2024, he was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and to three counts of attempted murder.
The inquiry's closing statements on Tuesday and Wednesday are the final public step before the report of findings is published. Dr Sanjoy Kumar said, “We were promised that no stone would be left unturned and that's really what I want it to be.”
For the bereaved families, the next stage is not another hearing but the weight of the inquiry's conclusions. O'Malley-Kumar's warning suggests the end of the process may bring the grief into sharper focus, even as the family seeks answers and a legacy for Grace O'Malley-Kumar.
