Nottingham police given until tomorrow morning to quiz suspect Valdo Calocane over ‘murders’ of three in ‘van rampage’
COPS have been given just hours to finish quizzing the alleged Nottingham attacker after three people were knifed to death this week.
Valdo Calocane, 31, was arrested on Tuesday after a horror rampage left Barnaby Webber, Grace Kumar and Ian Coates dead on the city’s streets.
The alleged attacker was arrested on suspicion of murder less than two hours after the first horror attacks began.
The 31-year-old has remained in police custody ever since – with cops being granted more time to ask him questions.
Officers have today been told they have until the early hours of tomorrow morning to finish quizzing him.
It was revealed yesterday that Calocane too attended the Univerity of Nottingham, but police said they did not believe that was linked to the attacks.
He had graduated last year with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering.
In recent days it came to light that the alleged attacker was understood to be of West African origin.
After Barnaby, Grace and Ian were stabbed, one man was critically injured after the alleged killer tried to mow him down with the van he’d stolen.
That man, who has been named locally as Wayne Birkett, is still fighting for his life in hospital.
The 58-year-old’s brother Shaun told the Mirror: “There’s not much to say. We’re just waiting for Wayne to open his eyes.”
His niece, who did not want to be named, also confirmed he is still unconscious and said his family are “worried sick”.
Nottinghamshire Police yesterday said they had referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The cops said they had passed on the details to the police watchdog after admitting “a marked police car followed behind the suspect’s van for a short distance before it collided with the two pedestrians”.
At a heartbreaking vigil on Wednesday night, Barnaby and Grace’s fathers fought back tears as they paid tribute to their children.
Barnaby’s dad David’s voice cracked as he opened up about losing his “baby boy”, while Grace’s father reminded the “sea of people” to look after one another.
Dr Sanjoy Kumar told the sobbing crowd: “We have children who were taken away prematurely from us, and that should never happen to any parent.
“But all I can say to all of you guys is thank you for the things you did for our daughter and Barney.”
Police were first rushed to Ilkeston Road just after 4am on Tuesday after witnesses revealed they heard “blood-curdling screams“.
This was said to be the horror moment Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar were knifed to death as they walked home from a nightclub.
In the short time that followed school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, was allegedly killed by the same knifeman just streets away from the students.
Police were then raced to Milton Street where Ian’s stolen van was used to run over three people – leaving one man in a critical condition with two others suffering minor injuries.
It comes after The Sun exclusively revealed that the alleged killer was fought off while trying to break into a hostel.
CCTV showed a man clad in black trying to climb through a ground floor window at Seely Hirst House on Mapperley Road at 4.08am on Tuesday – just minutes after two bodies were found four miles away.
Exclusive footage obtained by Sun Online showed a man, who would give his name only as Trevor, punch Calocane in the face so he couldn’t climb in.
The hooded man was then said to have screamed ‘let me in‘ as he tried to jump through the window.