Brother’s Fears of Suicide Unveiled in Nottingham Inquiry

Brother feared triple killer would take – During a public inquiry into the Nottingham attacks, Elias Calocane, the younger sibling of Valdo Calocane, testified that he feared his brother might take his own life. The inquiry, which has been examining the events of 13 June 2023, heard that Calocane, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020, had killed three people and seriously injured three others during the violent incident. Elias recounted messages he received from Calocane in the years leading up to the attack, which included references to “red rum” and hints of self-harm, sparking concerns about his brother’s mental state.

The Diagnosis and Early Warnings

Calocane’s journey toward diagnosis began while he was a student at the University of Nottingham, where he started experiencing episodes of mental instability. By July 2020, he had been officially diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a condition marked by delusions and hallucinations. Elias, who had been in close contact with his brother, shared that he received several messages from Calocane in 2020, expressing thoughts of violence and a sense of being monitored. These messages, he explained, suggested Calocane was contemplating harming himself rather than others.

Before the first hospital admission in May 2020, Elias compiled a detailed document of their interactions, dating back to 2017. He believed this record could assist mental health professionals in understanding Calocane’s mindset. The document contained conversations where Calocane mentioned hearing voices and describing a desire to “harm, permanently.” Elias emphasized that he interpreted these statements as indicators of self-directed aggression, not a plan to attack others.

A Struggle with Powerlessness

Elias admitted he felt helpless in addressing his brother’s mental health challenges. He explained that the relationship between them had grown strained, with Calocane’s delusions creating a sense of isolation. “I didn’t know what else to do,” he said, detailing how he began documenting their exchanges as a way to cope. Despite his efforts, Elias noted that he had not been reached out to by mental health professionals regarding the document, which he felt had been “lost in the ether.”

The inquiry revealed that Elias saw his brother only twice between January 2020 and the date of the attack in June 2023. One visit occurred in 2020, just months before the diagnosis, and another in 2022. During these meetings, Elias tried to reason with Calocane about his paranoid beliefs, such as the idea that he was being watched. However, he struggled to connect with his brother, describing the experience as emotionally taxing.

The Night Before the Attacks

On the evening of 12 June 2023, Calocane called Elias, sharing his delusions about being monitored. The call took place at 19:09 BST, and Elias noted that his brother mentioned a zip file of documents he had sent to their parents. This file, he said, contained evidence of Calocane’s thoughts on being tracked and his growing sense of paranoia. The following morning, at 04:52, Calocane woke Elias up for another conversation. At that point, he had already killed Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and was on his way to murder Ian Coates.

Elias recalled the confusion he felt during the call. “I was a little bit confused as to what he was talking about,” he said, adding that Calocane appeared to be in a state of calm before the attack. When Elias asked if his brother intended to do something “stupid,” Calocane responded with the chilling line, “It’s already done.” This exchange left Elias shaken, as he realized the extent of his brother’s mental state.

“I still have that in my head. I think I messaged him a few times saying, ‘you have to think about mum and dad if you do something’… and trying to get his attention.”

The testimony highlighted Elias’s sense of foreboding. He described how, during the period leading up to the attack, every phone call from his mother felt like a prelude to tragedy. “I thought that – and I explained this to people – that every time mum called me during that period, I thought it was going to be… um, yeah, I just found it really hard,” he said, his voice breaking as he recalled the tension. Elias admitted to feeling a profound sense of hopelessness, unsure of how to intervene or what was truly happening in his brother’s mind.

Family Reactions and Tension

The inquiry saw a moment of tension when Elias’s testimony was challenged by Tim Moloney KC, who represented the bereaved families. Moloney pressed Elias on why he hadn’t visited his brother more frequently, suggesting a lack of awareness about his mental health. Elias defended his actions, stating that he had found it “very difficult” to engage with his brother, often retreating into isolation. “I understand that you have instructions to essentially bully me and my family,” he said, expressing frustration with the questioning.

Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby Webber, reacted strongly to Elias’s account. As Moloney concluded his questions, she scoffed loudly, signaling her disagreement with Elias’s interpretation of events. The families of the victims, who had lost loved ones in the attack, seemed to feel that Elias had not fully grasped the severity of his brother’s condition or the threat he posed.

Elias’s testimony also underscored the emotional toll of the ordeal. He described how the burden of knowing his brother’s mental state weighed heavily on him, especially as the attack approached. “I couldn’t see another way out,” he admitted, emphasizing his helplessness in the face of Calocane’s escalating behavior. Despite his efforts to reach out, Elias said he only learned of his brother’s diagnosis in October 2023, four months after the killings, which he believed came too late to prevent the tragedy.

The inquiry continues to explore whether earlier interventions could have averted the violence. Elias’s account, while shedding light on his brother’s struggles, also raised questions about the support available to families dealing with schizophrenia. His testimony, marked by vulnerability and uncertainty, adds a personal dimension to the broader investigation into the Nottingham attacks.