Fuming relatives of his victims claim the paranoid schizophrenic this week “got away with murder” as prosecutors allowed him to plead guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
The move came after psychiatrists ruled he had been suffering an extreme mental illness when he butchered university students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both aged 19, and 65-year-old grandfather Ian Coates to death in frenzied knife attacks in Nottingham last summer.
Instead of a tough prison regime the “cowardly monster” has been sent to Ashworth high security hospital on Merseyside where previous patients have described life compared to prison as “cushy”.
The hospital prides itself on running a therapeutic environment – with art and music workshops, pottery and cooking classes, and social events such as bingo and film nights.
Every patient is encouraged to engage in some sort of social activity as part of their daily treatment and nobody is allowed to sit in isolation.
There are no steel doors, staff employed by the NHS do not wear prison uniforms and patients are encouraged to venture outside to enjoy the surrounding open green spaces.
Meanwhile in his bedroom Calocane, 32, will be treated to creature comforts such as music players, photos and books, whilst each room has its own private en-suite toilet.
He is being “treated” alongside 227 other patients – including rapists, murderers and paedophiles – who are held under the Mental Health Act.
On average patients – who have previously described life as stay at Ashworth for about six years, with most then returning to medium-security prisons.
That is not an option for Calocane because he was given a straight hospital order rather than a “hybrid” sentence that would have enabled him to be moved to a prison should doctors rule his condition has improved.
Instead he will not be released while he continues to pose a risk to the public, which could be for the rest of his life.
However that sentence passed by Judge Justice Mark Turner at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday is now set to be referred to the Court of Appeal after Attorney General Victoria Prentis confirmed they had received a complaint saying it was too lenient.
She now has 28 days to decide.
Yesterday in a fresh attack Grace’s brother James O’Malley-Kumar, 17, said his family has been “let down’ after police admitted they could have “done more” to stop Calocane, who had repeatedly come to the attention of various authorities and had a warrant out for his arrest for the alleged assault of a police officer.
Calling for a public enquiry James said: “We do not think justice has been served. We want investigations to carry on because we have been let down by CPS, the NHS and also the police.”
“Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin has blood on his hands, he told us they’d done everything they could and then within 24 hours said they could have done a lot more.”
“There was a warrant for this man for nine months and it’s a complete failing of the police that he was still on the streets in June.”
“I think he would have been put in front of Magistrates and put back in the mental health system. And that could have possibly meant he was not roaming the streets on June 13 and Grace could still be here.”
