Triple-killer’s manslaughter pleas accepted by prosecutor, court hears

Calocane, who answered to the name Adam Mendes in court, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to the manslaughter of Mr Coates and that of university students Barnaby and Grace.

Valdo Calocane, 32, admitted the manslaughter of school caretaker Ian Coates and students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar (Nottinghamshire Police/PA)

Prosecutors have accepted Nottingham triple-killer Valdo Calocane’s pleas of not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to “serious” mental illness, a judge has been told.

Prosecutor Karim Khalil KC told Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday that the families of university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, had been consulted before deciding to accept the pleas entered by Calocane, 32.