Police Initially Told Nottingham Stabbing Victim's Wife He Died in 'Car Crash'
The partner of a school caretaker who was fatally stabbed by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane during the Nottingham attacks has testified at an inquiry that authorities initially informed her he died in a road traffic accident. Elaine Newton, whose long-term partner Ian Coates, 65, was killed after Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar in the 2023 attacks, described the experience as feeling like her partner had been 'killed twice' due to the misleading information.
Four-Hour Delay Before Truth Revealed
Ms Newton told the hearing she was in denial when police first contacted her, insisting Mr Coates was at work and couldn't be involved in an accident. 'They said he was in an RTA, a road accident. I said, 'He will be at work, it's not Ian'. They said 'No, it's an RTA',' she recounted. It took more than four hours before police liaison officers corrected the information, with Ms Newton noting their shocked expressions as they revealed the truth: 'You've been told the wrong information. Ian's been killed, and he's been stabbed.'
She emphasized the emotional impact: 'It felt like he'd been killed twice. It wasn't right. It was not right, it was a mess.'
Additional Communication Failures Revealed
Ms Newton disclosed further breakdowns in communication with Nottinghamshire Police. Despite requesting not to see Calocane's face, she was later shown videos of him walking around the city on the morning of the attacks. She also learned about previous incidents involving Calocane and police only during the inquiry process, rather than being informed earlier by authorities.
During a meeting with then-chief constable Kate Meynell, Ms Newton was told about a WhatsApp group where officers discussed the fatal attacks. 'I should have been given information about his past, not straight away, but down the line. She could have given me more information when I went, rather than just telling me about the WhatsApp group,' she stated.
Police and NHS Accountability Questioned
In the aftermath, Ms Newton said police offered excuses for why Calocane was allowed to 'roam' the city after the attacks, citing potential reasons like insufficient officers that morning or Nottingham's size. 'Those were the excuses I got,' she added.
Calocane had been discharged by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in September 2022. After discovering his past behavior, Ms Newton told the trust she wasn't interested in apologies, calling them 'too little, too late.' She concluded: 'I think the police have let the public, myself and all other families down. They didn't do their job properly, they didn't communicate with the NHS, the NHS didn't communicate with the police. So I think between them all they've caused this.'
Remembering Ian Coates
Ian Coates, 65, was a school caretaker stabbed to death in the early hours of the Nottingham attacks day. His employer, the L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, described him as a 'beloved and respected member of the Huntingdon Academy staff.' His sons, Lee and James Coates, remembered him as a 'massive, massive football fan' and 'great father,' noting his death had 'rocked everyone's world.'
'He was a die-hard Forest fan and an avid fisherman,' Lee said. 'He used to take under-privileged kids fishing just to get away from crime. You genuinely couldn't find a nicer guy.' He added that his father was due to retire in four months and was still working hard. James reflected: 'Not dying on a street because some guy decided it's not his day today.'
