In a recent development, Emma Webber, the mother of one of the victims in the Nottingham attacks, has strongly criticized a BBC Panorama episode about the incident. The documentary, which aired in August 2024, has been described by Webber as "shameful, cold, ill-judged, arrogant and thoughtless."
The attacks, which occurred on June 13, 2023, resulted in the tragic deaths of three individuals: university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65. The perpetrator, Valdo Calocane, was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a severe mental disorder characterized by delusions and hallucinations.
Webber expressed her disappointment with the Panorama episode, titled "The Nottingham Attacks: A Search For Answers," which featured members of Calocane's family. The program aimed to investigate the mental health background of the attacker and explore potential lessons from the incident.
"We believe what the BBC produced is a very imbalanced documentary - it's shameful, cold, ill-judged, arrogant and thoughtless."
The families of the victims have taken the step of filing a formal complaint about the Panorama episode. They argue that the documentary contains inaccuracies, was overly sympathetic towards the attacker's family, and that they were denied a preview screening.
Neil Hudgell, the lawyer representing the families, highlighted their concerns: "They were told as a 'fait accompli' when the piece was airing, they had no opportunity to be involved. Had they been consulted they could have pointed out some obvious factual errors."
The controversy surrounding this documentary raises important questions about the balance between public interest journalism and sensitivity towards victims' families. The BBC, founded in 1922, has long-standing editorial guidelines that were first published in 1989 and are regularly updated to address such issues.
In response to the criticism, a BBC spokesperson defended the documentary, stating that it was produced in accordance with the corporation's editorial guidelines and that it examines the decline in Calocane's mental health, asking whether there were systemic failings in his interactions with mental health services.
This incident highlights the ongoing challenges in mental health care in the UK. The Mental Health Foundation reports that 1 in 6 people experience a common mental health problem in any given week, underscoring the importance of adequate mental health services. However, the number of mental health nurses in England has decreased by 10% since 2010, despite the UK government implementing a mental health reform program since 2016.
Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order earlier in 2024 under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983. He admitted to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, a partial defense that reduces the offense from murder to manslaughter.
The UK's mental health budget for 2021/22 was £14.3 billion, representing about 14% of England's overall NHS budget. Despite this significant allocation, the system continues to face challenges, as evidenced by the 50,893 detentions under the Mental Health Act in England in 2019/20.
As this situation unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the complex interplay between mental health, criminal justice, and media responsibility in covering sensitive issues. The families' complaint will be processed according to the UK's two-stage complaints system for broadcasting, potentially involving Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, if unresolved with the BBC.