The mother of teenage murder victim Barnaby Webber saw her son's phone being taken to the police station on the Find Me app after realising something was wrong.
Barnaby and his friend Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, were stabbed in Nottingham last June as they made their way home from a night out. Valdo Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic slaughtered them before also killing school caretaker Ian Coates. He was given an indefinite hospital order earlier this year.
CCTV footage captured the pair living their final moments playfully as they made their way home from the PRYZM nightclub in the city centre. In the video, they appeared not to have a care in the world as they strolled along Ilkeston Road joking and giggling with each other. But within moments, they would meet the man who would end their young lives.
Emma said she saw Barnaby's phone moving on the Find Me app (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)
(Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)Speaking to the Mirror, Barnaby's mother Emma Webber, from Taunton, Somerset, said: “I remember we woke up as normal and I had a Teams meeting at 9am. Just as it was starting Dave said, ‘Something’s happened in Nottingham’. It was on the news.
“We then straight away tried to contact Barney and he was not answering his phone and continued to not answer his phone. We were trying to see where his phone was on the Find Me app and could see it was not at his student residence.
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“As we now know it was on Ilkeston Road. We started to get really concerned. I had a feeling that something was wrong. Then the phone started moving. It moved to the police station, and then I just knew.
Barnaby Webber (PA)“We were literally watching it move on the app. We were of course panicking. The news was saying a man and a woman had been killed and another was gravely ill. I was like, well that can’t be Barney because he’s still a child.
Barnaby Webber's mother, Emma (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)“I was trying to phone the hospitals, and Dave had phoned and got through to the police. He said their voice changed a little bit when he said Barney’s name. They said we will take your number and call you back. We just got in the car. We were driving for about four miles when we got a phone call from a family liaison officer. They asked if we could pull over. They told us in the car park of a pub on the outskirts of Camelford. My world went black. I just screamed.”
Nottinghamshire Police said: “In accordance with existing [NPCC/IOPC] protocol, Nottinghamshire Police is unable to comment directly on matters which are included in the IOPC’s ongoing independent investigation into complaints raised by the families of Valdo Calocane’s victims.
“This is to avoid possible prejudice to any future potential proceedings and is standard practice which applies to all police forces when cases are under investigation by the IOPC. We are co-operating fully and supporting the IOPC with its enquiries.”
Shool caretaker Ian Coates, 65, was found dead in Magdala Road (PA)Speaking ahead of today’s vigil, Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “On the morning of 13 June 2023, devastating events took place in our city which resulted in the loss of three innocent lives.
“My thoughts today are with the families and friends of Barnaby, Grace, Ian, and those that were seriously injured. “On behalf of all of us at Nottinghamshire Police, I will be laying a wreath and lighting a candle in the city in their memory and paying my respects, alongside other local civic leaders. We will never forget this tragic loss of life.”
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