Nottingham attacks: Barnaby Webber's family says their 'world fell apart' - BBC

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By Emily Anderson & George Torr

BBC News, Nottingham

The family of one of three people killed in attacks in Nottingham have recalled the moment their "world fell apart" upon hearing of his death.

Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, were killed on their way home from a night out in Nottingham by Valdo Calocane, who also went on to kill 65-year-old Ian Coates on 13 June.

Calocane was given a hospital order on Thursday after admitting manslaughter.

Mr Webber's mother Emma said her son was "the most genuine human being".

At the time of his death, Mr Webber was a talented cricketer and coming to the end of his first year at the University of Nottingham.

A history student from Taunton, Somerset, Mr Webber loved Nottingham and was extremely popular, his family said.

"He was probably the most genuine human being I have ever met... he was so funny, and he was loving his life, he was living it," Mrs Webber added.

• Special review into NHS trust that treated killer

His family said he could not wait to get back to the city whenever he went home.

But he would never return home.

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Recalling the events of 13 June, Mrs Webber said she was working away in Cornwall, when the news she was watching on TV suddenly turned to a breaking incident in Nottingham.

The item on BBC News piqued her interest. About 300 miles away from her, her eldest child was in the city.

She said her husband David decided to call him, but he did not answer.

Thinking he may be sleeping off a night out, there was no initial concern.

But when they heard something had happened in Ilkeston Road and checked Mr Webber's location on a mobile app, they found a match.

Mrs Webber said: "It sounds ridiculous in my head, but I heard a man and a woman had been killed, and thought it can't be Barney because it still feels like he's a child to me.

"It was a blood-run-cold moment... my instant reaction was 'why isn't he answering', but then we saw where it [the phone] went and it went to a police station.

"That is when I knew it was bad."

Family Handout

Mr and Mrs Webber decided to head straight to Nottingham. But they were only in the car for less than three miles before the phone rang.

It was the police station that Mr Webber had happened to call earlier in the day. The family remembers the officer asking them to pull over.

Mr Webber said: "My world just fell apart... I don't remember too much after that.

"We were a normal family, just like many up and down the country. Our world changed just like that."

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Mr and Mrs Webber said they drove to Torquay, where Barnaby's 16-year-old brother Charlie was on a school trip.

Mrs Webber said: "I had this sinking feeling that we were going to change his life forever in the next 20 seconds... it was heartbreaking.

"He [Charlie] kept saying 'it can't be true' and 'I can't live without him'. It was as awful as anyone can imagine."

The family were invited to Nottingham by the university and were told a vigil was being planned on campus.

They thought the vigil, held just days after the killings, would be a small occasion and gave it no real thought.

But as they walked in, thousands of students were gathered in silence.

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The next day, the three families made their way to Old Market Square, where a second vigil was held for the people of Nottingham to share in their grief.

Mrs Webber said: "It was utterly overwhelming... we were shown the best of humanity against the worst of humanity.

"You could feel the energy, it is hard to explain... you could almost touch it - the outpouring of respect, horror and sadness.

"I don't think anything can prepare you to be thrust into the limelight in the way that we were and to see so many people affected."

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The family were also determined to visit the place where Barnaby had lost his life.

"I needed to go to where it happened... I refused to leave before I had been there," she said.

"We walked [down Ilkeston Road] and what struck me was just how close it was to where he lived.

"We were taken to the spot where this monster did what he did - they were less than five minutes away from being safe."

Supplied

Police closed the road and people who lived closed by came out of their houses to pay their respects.

The family placed a photo of Barnaby on the ground where he died. They stood in a circle and paid tribute to him.

"I'm so glad I did it, I needed him to know I was there," Mrs Webber said.

"I don't know how I'm still standing... if someone had said this would happen to me, I would've said I couldn't cope with that."

Asked what kept him going after losing his son, Mr Webber said: "My son Charlie... I've had some dark thoughts but if it wasn't for him, I don't really know where myself and Emma would be.

"I don't fear dying any more... if I got a phone call tomorrow saying I have six months left, I'd make peace with it.

"That's because maybe I'd be with Barney, and that's where I'd want to be."

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The family's anguish has now turned to anger.

The families of all three victims have criticised the police, the NHS and the Crown Prosecution Service over the outcome of the case, which saw Calocane sentenced for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, after it was found he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the killings.

Calls have subsequently been made for a public inquiry, with the attorney general considering whether Calocane's sentence should be reviewed.

A special review has also been ordered into the NHS trust that treated Calocane, and separately, an NHS England Independent Mental Health Homicide Review into the killer's contact with mental health services will take place.

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Related Topics

• Taunton
• Nottingham
• Nottingham attacks

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2024-01-29 05:50:01Z
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Disposable vapes to be banned for children's health, government says - BBC

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By Hugh Pym, health editor, & Christy Cooney

BBC News

Disposable vapes are set to be banned as part of plans to tackle the rising number of young people taking up vaping, the government says.

Measures will also be introduced to prevent vapes being marketed at children and to target underage sales.

Figures from the Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) charity suggest 7.6% of 11 to 17-year-olds now vape regularly or occasionally, up from 4.1% in 2020.

The ban is expected to be introduced across the UK, the government said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to explain the plans during a visit to a school on Monday.

"As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic," he said in a statement.

It follows last year's announcement of a ban on the sale of cigarettes to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 as part of an attempt to create a "smoke-free generation".

It is already illegal to sell any vape to anyone under 18, but the government said disposable vapes - often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging than refillable ones - are a "key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping".

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told the BBC she was confident the new bill would pass Parliament by the time of the general election - expected to be this year - with it coming into force in early 2025.

Once the timing is confirmed, retailers will be given six months to implement it.

The bill could be brought in using existing legislation designed to protect the environment.

Campaigners have long argued that disposable vapes are wasteful and that the materials and chemicals used to make them, including their lithium batteries, make them difficult to dispose of safely.

The latest changes would also introduce powers to stop refillable vapes being sold in a flavour marketed at children and to require that they be produced in plainer, less appealing packaging.

The government will also be able to mandate that shops display refillable vapes out of sight of children and away from other products they might buy, like sweets.

A further public consultation will take place to decide which flavours should be banned and how refillable vapes will be sold, the government said.

Among the child-friendly vape flavours currently available are those inspired by cookies, jam and energy drinks.

To help stop underage sales, additional fines will be brought in for any shops in England and Wales caught selling vapes illegally to children.

Matt Carpenter, head teacher at Baxter College in Kidderminster, told BBC Radio 5 Live vaping was a "huge part of youth culture" and said the proposed ban on disposable vapes was a "big step forward".

Glyn Potts, head teacher at Newham Catholic College in Oldham, said action needed to be taken to stop children being "bombarded" with "attractive" products on social media and in shops across the country.

He also told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was evidence that some vape pens had been repurposed to contain "cannabis derivatives" which he claimed could hospitalise young people.

Vaping alternatives like nicotine pouches - small white pouches that are placed between the lip and gum - will also be banned for children. The pouches release nicotine but do not contain tobacco, so can currently be legally sold to under-18s.

While vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, it has not been around for long enough for its long-term risks to be known, according to the NHS.

Health leaders will nevertheless be keen to ensure that the new measures do not make it harder for adult smokers to move to vaping as an alternative.

This is where the consultation over how far to go with restrictions on flavours and displays in shops will be important.

The announcement follows an initial consultation launched late last year by the UK government and devolved administrations to gauge public attitudes to measures being proposed to reduce levels of smoking and vaping.

The government said almost 70% of respondents supported a ban on disposable vapes.

• Never start vaping, says girl with lung damage
• Panorama - Teenage Vaping: What’s the Harm?
• More than four million illegal vapes seized at border

The Scottish and Welsh governments both said they would introduce bans, either with legislation in their own parliaments or by supporting UK-wide measures.

Scotland's public health minister, Jenni Minto, said disposable vapes were a "threat to both public health" and that the Scottish government wanted to "do more to achieve our goal of being tobacco-free in Scotland by 2034".

Wales's deputy minister for wellbeing, Lynne Neagle, said that "vaping carries a risk of harm and addiction for children" and that "we want to take all actions possible to prevent youth vaping".

Northern Ireland remains without a devolved administration following a breakdown of power sharing, but its Department of Health said it had "a long-standing strategic aim for a tobacco-free Northern Ireland" and would make preparations to allow incoming ministers to take a decision on the ban.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash, said that the "government's strategy is the right one: stop smoking initiation, support smokers to quit..., while protecting children by curbing youth vaping".

Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the organisation was "thrilled to see the government take the first necessary steps to create a smoke-free generation".

"By stopping children and young people from ever starting to smoke we decrease their chances of developing preventable diseases later in life," she said.

'Desperate attempt'

In a statement, the UK Vaping Industry Association said disposable vapes have "played a key role in helping millions of adults quit and stay off cigarettes" and that it was "dismayed" by the announcement.

"While action to prevent youth access to vaping is critical, this move smacks more of a desperate attempt by the government to sacrifice vapers for votes," it said.

It added that the ban would put children at greater risk by "turbo-charging the black market" and increasing the availability of illicit vapes. Instead, it said there should be better enforcement of the current laws.

Eve Peters, UK director of government affairs for Elf Bar, one of the country's biggest vape manufacturers with sister brand Lost Mary, said the company supported the government's wish to stop children using vapes but that it was "disappointed with the outright ban".

The UK has joined a small group of countries planning to ban disposable vapes. Australia, France, Germany, and New Zealand have all announced similar plans, although only New Zealand has so far implemented them.

Some will argue the UK's plans still don't go far enough. There have been calls for a tax on e-cigarettes to bring them in line with tobacco, while Australia has made vapes available only by prescription.

Trading Standards officers also say more resources are needed to help crack down on rogue retailers, and it may take some time and a different range of policies to stop vapes with damaging illegal content coming into the UK and reaching children.

Local authorities can impose a maximum fine of £2,500 and the government announced a £30m package to support enforcement in October.

Related Topics

• Public health
• Vaping
• Young people

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Bristol stabbing: Boys aged 15 and 16 killed in attack - BBC.com

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Police are looking for further suspects who are believed to have been involved in the attack

Two boys, aged 15 and 16, have died after being stabbed in Bristol.

They were attacked in Knowle West at about 23:20 GMT on Saturday by a group of people who fled the scene in a car, Avon and Somerset Police said.

A 44-year-old man and 15-year-old boy have been arrested and are in custody.

Bristol Commander Supt Mark Runacres said at a press conference: "There are further suspects that are being sought amongst the group that we believe are responsible."

Police have begun a murder investigation and they said a vehicle had been seized.

Supt Runacres said officers were keen to speak to passengers who were on a bus on Ilminster Avenue, where the stabbings occurred, at the time.

"Our collective thoughts are with their families at what is undoubtedly a very difficult time. Specialist family liaison officers will now be assigned to the families to provide them with support and keep them updated on the investigation," he said.

"A cordon is in place on Ilminster Avenue between Newquay Road and Tavistock Road, and members of the public can expect to see a large police presence as forensic searches and other enquiries are conducted."

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Forensic searches are being carried out in the area

Formal identification of the victims has not yet taken place and a forensic post-mortem will be scheduled in due course.

Supt Runacres said several witnesses had been identified.

In a statement, he said: "[I'm] frustrated that offences like this will take place anywhere. It's demoralising. But it makes me determined to support the community.

"[And] it makes me determined to work with the team of police officers we have committed to this to identify those and bring them to justice."

An investigation into the attack is being led by Avon and Somerset Major Crime Investigation Team

The neighbourhood policing team will be setting up a mobile police station near the scene and anyone with concerns or questions is encouraged to to speak to any of the officers.

High visibility patrols will also be carried out to provide reassurance to the community. Supt Runacres said it was extremely important there should be no commentary or sharing of information or images online which could in any way prejudice any future proceedings.

"I'd also like to remind people of the impact the sharing of images, footage or even discussing the incident online may have on the families of the two boys," he said.

"They are already going through the most difficult of times and you may cause them further upset."

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Badenoch tells anti-Sunak plotters stop 'stirring' but won't rule out leadership bid - The Independent

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Kemi Badenoch has told plotters trying to oust Rishi Sunak from office to stop stirring – but did not rule out a future leadership bid.

The business secretary said she fully supported the prime minister as she attempted to distance herself from the bid to eject him from Downing Street.

Her name is at the centre of intense speculation over who could replace him, but she insisted the shadowy group were not her friends.

“They don’t care about me. They don’t care about my family or what this would entail. They are just stirring,” she said.

But she did not rule out a future tilt at the top job, saying “You never know these things [standing again] until you’re in the moment”.

Business secretary Kemi Badenoch

(Aaron Chown/PA)

The beleaguered Mr Sunak is the focus of a plot by MPs, donors and former aides to force him from office.

Ms Badenoch’s name has been put forward as the possible “consensus” candidate to replace him – the MP who could command the most support across the party.

Asked about the plot on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, she said: “A lot of people who are going around doing this are creating problems and difficulties that the party and, more importantly, the country does not need.

“I fully support the prime minister.”

Those putting her name forward are not her friends, she said, adding: “They need to stop messing around and get behind the leader.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak

“The fact of the matter is most people in the country are not interested in all of this Westminster tittle-tattle. Quite frankly, the people who keep putting my name in there are not my friends.”

Tory donors recently funded an explosive poll that predicted a devastating Labour landslide unless Mr Sunak was removed as leader.

Tory peer Lord Frost, who organised the poll, has been warned he risks losing the party whip unless he comes clean and names the anonymous moneymen.

And this week a senior Tory linked to Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, Sir Simon Clarke, went public with calls for his party leader to go.

Ms Badenoch said she called Sir Simon afterwards “and asked him what on earth he was doing”.

She warned the Tory party cannot keep treating prime ministers as “disposable”, as she said she was “extremely” frustrated at the speculation.

But another Boris Johnson ally, Nadine Dorries accused Ms Badenoch of pursuing her leadership ambitions despite the denials.

On Ms Badenoch’s effective call for the plotters to shut up, Ms Dorries said: “She should take her own advice.”

She also accused the business secretary and former immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, seen as another leadership contender, of self-interest, saying: “What they are out for is themselves.”

Tim Montgomerie, who worked for Boris Johnson in Downing Street, said Tory members watching her interview would be thinking: “I would not mind Kemi as leader.”

A secret group of up to seven former advisers have been accused of running the campaign, dubbed the “Sheekey plotters” after a well-known seafood restaurant, J Sheekey, in central London they are said to frequent.

One was publicly unveiled as Will Dry, a former No 10 special adviser who worked on polling, while others are reported to have threatened to sue those who publicly name them.

The group are thought to be planning a war of attrition against the prime minister and are seen as upcoming “pain points” for the Tory leader, including looming by-elections and the local elections in May.

No 10 has taken to calling their attacks the “grid of s***”, a play on the Downing Street “grid” which dictates when government announcements will be made.

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King will not carry out royal engagements for up to a month as he recovers from surgery, Sky News understands - Sky News

The King will not carry out royal engagements for up to a month as he recovers from surgery in hospital, Sky News understands.

The King underwent a procedure for an enlarged prostate on Friday at The London Clinic and remains in hospital, with the Queen telling patients he is "doing well" during a visit.

Sky's royal correspondent Laura Bundock says there will now be a "period of recuperation" for the King.

He will be available for state matters while in hospital and can attend to red boxes with government papers when he is discharged, she added.

The King had last carried out duties in private on Thursday, ahead of arriving in London from Norfolk to prepare for the procedure.

Charles, who only acceded to the throne 16 months ago, had to cancel engagements ahead of the surgery as his doctors urged him to rest, though the exact nature of his treatment is not known.

Image: The Queen has visited the King each day during his hospital stay

The 75-year-old was diagnosed with the benign condition on 17 January after going for a check-up when he was experiencing symptoms.

It's understood he wanted to share the news to encourage other men to get themselves checked.

NHS England reported a boost in views of its "enlarged prostate" page on the NHS website, recording one visit every five seconds on the day the diagnosis was announced.

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A Buckingham Palace spokesman previously said the King was "admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment".

Image: The King and the Princess of Wales are being treated at The London Clinic. Pic: Reuters

"His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness," the spokesman added.

The Princess of Wales is also staying at The London Clinic having undergone abdominal surgery.

Read more:
NHS skin cancer page boost after Duchess of York diagnosis
What we know as Princess of Wales recovers in hospital

Ahead of his own treatment, Charles visited Kate after her successful operation.

It is not known how long Charles will spend in hospital, but reports suggest he could remain there for the duration of the weekend.

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Major emergency response as man left seriously hurt after being hit by car - Manchester Evening News

A 64-year-old man was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a car while crossing a major road in Bury.

Emergency services, including police officers and paramedics, were called to the scene of the crash on Derby Way, near Peel Way, at around 5.08pm yesterday (Friday). A stretch of the road was closed off near The Rock Shopping Centre as crews responded.

The man was taken to the Salford Royal Hospital from the scene. Police said his injuries were not 'immediately believed to be life-threatening or life-changing'.

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The driver of the car - a 44-year-old man - was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury. Last night, he was released from police custody under investigation.

The busy road was cordoned off for several hours after the crash while investigations were carried out. Drivers were urged to avoid the area as congestion built up to the closure.

Police on the scene in Bury after the crash (Image: J Media Group)

In an appeal issued this morning (Saturday), police urged any witnesses of the crash to come forward. They also want to speak to anyone who has CCTV or dash cam footage.

Information can be shared by calling 0161 856 4741, quoting log number 2733 of 26/01/2024. You can also report information to GMP's website using the ‘tell us about’ tool: www.gmp.police.uk

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers - anonymously – on 0800 555 111.

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Matthew Turner: Decorator who stole £32,000 worth of watches from Duke of Westminster's bedroom avoids jail - Sky News

A decorator who stole watches worth around £32,000 from the Duke of Westminster's home has avoided jail "by the skin of his teeth".

Matthew Turner, 24, was given a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting the burglary of three watches, taken in August 2022.

Turner was working on renovations at Eaton Hall, on the outskirts of Chester, when he took the items from the bedroom of the duke, otherwise known as Hugh Grosvenor.

Image: The 7th Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor. Pic: PA

Sentencing Turner at Chester Crown Court, Judge Steven Everett, the Honorary Recorder of Chester, said: "You have escaped prison by the skin of your teeth."

The court heard Turner, who was addicted to cocaine at the time, took a Cartier London Tank JC watch, bought for £18,000, a Panerai Luminor Marina watch, worth £7,000, and a Breitling watch, worth about £7,000.

The items are of "huge sentimental value, beyond their financial worth," the duke said in a statement.

"My bedroom is a private, extremely personal space within my home," he said, adding, "I feel very uncomfortable knowing someone who is trusted to do a job has entered my room and stolen my personal possessions."

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The burglary only came to light when Harry Fane, who had sold the Cartier watch to the duke, spotted it for sale on an auction site in November that year in what was described in court as an "astonishing coincidence".

Judge Everett said it was clear Turner had declined to tell police where the other two watches, which have never been recovered, were, suggesting "at least one of the watches went to your drug dealer."

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At the time of the offence, Turner was working for a firm which had worked on the duke's estate for more than 50 years and were "well and truly trusted" by the family, the court heard.

Read more on Sky News:
I took a lie detactor test - here's why it failed
Charity sees 'unprecedented' rise in antisemitic attacks
Brexit raises costs of fish, cheese and flowers

Last year, the duke, 32, was estimated by Bloomberg to have a net worth of approximately £9.42bn, much of it from his family's property empire.

The duke, who is godfather to Prince George, was top of the 2023 Sunday Times under-35's Rich List, with an estimated fortune of almost £10bn.

He was said to own "half of London" when he inherited his title and 300 acres of land across Belgravia and Mayfair, on his father's death, in 2016.

Myles Wilson, defending, said Turner had been spending hundreds of pounds on cocaine.

He said: "It's a typical scenario where his debts increase, his dealers become more desperate, he becomes more desperate and he's committed crime and really self-destructed."

Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said Turner had admitted a separate offence of taking £60 from a work colleague that December.

Turner was told he must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity.

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2024-01-27 09:47:48Z
CBMijAFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9tYXR0aGV3LXR1cm5lci1kZWNvcmF0b3Itd2hvLXN0b2xlLTMyLTAwMC13b3J0aC1vZi13YXRjaGVzLWZyb20tZHVrZS1vZi13ZXN0bWluc3RlcnMtYmVkcm9vbS1hdm9pZHMtamFpbC0xMzA1NzM1OdIBkAFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvbWF0dGhldy10dXJuZXItZGVjb3JhdG9yLXdoby1zdG9sZS0zMi0wMDAtd29ydGgtb2Ytd2F0Y2hlcy1mcm9tLWR1a2Utb2Ytd2VzdG1pbnN0ZXJzLWJlZHJvb20tYXZvaWRzLWphaWwtMTMwNTczNTk