A SUSPECT has today been charged with murder after two 19-year-old students were stabbed to death and a caretaker was killed in a van rampage.
Valdo Calocane, 31, was arrested by cops in Nottingham on Tuesday after the horrific 90-minute knife and van rampage that claimed the lives of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates.
Nottingham Police today confirmed Valdo Calocane, aged 31, has been charged with three counts of murder.
He has also been charged with three counts of attempted murder after three people were struck by a van.
He will appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
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Chief Constable Kate Meynell, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “These charges are a significant development and arise as a result of our thorough investigation into these horrific incidents that occurred in our city.
"Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of all those affected by these attacks, and we will continue to provide support and reassurance."
Calocane, understood to be from Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham last summer.
He was said to be "very bright" but suffering with his mental health.
The horror attack first unfolded at 4am Tuesday morning, when students Barney and Grace were brutally stabbed on Ilkeston Road, 300 yards from their halls, while walking home from a nightclub.
Terrified bystanders dialled 999 at 4.04am.
Meanwhile, at 4.08am a man clad all in black was captured on CCTV trying to break into a homeless shelter four miles away on Mapperley Road.
He failed after a resident punched him as he tried to climb through an open window on the ground floor.
Cops said the man matched the description of their suspect.
Mr Coates' body was found just yards away at 5.30am, after his van was used to ram into three pedestrians on Milton Street - leaving one, factory worker Wayne Birkett, fighting for his life.
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Calocane was Tasered and cuffed after allegedly running at cops with a knife on Maples Street in Nottingham at 5.36am.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said the driver of a marked police car had sight of a van for "less than a minute" before it collided with pedestrians during the Nottingham attacks.
In a statement, a spokesman for the IOPC said: "We have viewed dashcam footage from the police car and can confirm the officer, in a single-crewed vehicle en route to a linked incident, had sight of the van for less than a minute before the collision in the South Sherwood Street area. The officer immediately stopped to provide first aid."
It added that "our investigation will consider whether the actions of the van driver were influenced by the police car's presence".
Barnaby's family and friends visited the scene of the attack on Friday.
In a statement his family said: "We chose to come to this dreadful space because we owe it to both Barnaby and Grace to let them know we are here.
"As has been expressed by so many already, heartbreak cannot begin to describe our loss.
"As painful as this tribute today has been, it is yet another step forward on the very long dark journey we have been forced to take.
"We would like to thank all at Nottingham University and the police for their professionalism, diligence, respect and care they have shown during this time."
Crowds gathered in Market Square in the city centre on Thursday for a vigil where Barnaby's heartbroken mum Emma said the "monstrous individual" responsible "will not define us".
Grace's dad Dr Sanjoy Kumar, mum and brother stood together as they told how their family had "become three".
Her mum Sinead said: "My beautiful baby girl, she wasn't just beautiful on the outside, you must have seen her pictures, she was so beautiful on the inside. She was a treasure, an adored child."
Barnaby and Grace's dads fought back tears at a vigil on Wednesday as they told devastated pupils to "look after each other".
Barnaby's devastated family previously described their “complete devastation” at the “senseless murder of our son”.
His parents David and Emma Webber added that he was a “beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to”.
They said: "At 19 he was just at the start of his journey into adulthood and was developing into a wonderful young man.
"As parents we are enormously proud of everything he achieved and all the plans he had made.
"His brother is bereft beyond belief."
Barney, who has a younger brother Charles, was a talented hockey player and celebrated winning the under-14 county championship with schoolmates in 2018.
Grace played hockey for Southgate in London and had made it into the England squad for her age group.
Grace’s dad Dr Sanjoy Kumar saved victims of a gang stabbing in Chingford, Essex, in 2009.
He helped move three knifed teens, aged 15, 16 and 17 to a makeshift trauma room in his surgery before 999 crews arrived.
It is understood Barney and Grace met through their shared love of hockey.
On Monday, hundreds of students went to Pryzm for its Quids In! Imma Student Get Me Out Of Here night until 4am.
