Nottingham attacks: CCTV shows suspect outside homeless hostel

CCTV footage has emerged that shows a man said to be the suspect in the fatal Nottingham attacks.

Students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, and school caretaker Ian Coates, were stabbed to death in the city in the early hours of Tuesday.

Three others were injured when a stolen van was driven into pedestrians.

Inquiries revealed a man matching the suspect's description tried to get into a homeless hostel - an incident not reported to police at the time.

University of Nottingham students Mr Webber and Ms O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, were attacked with a knife in Ilkeston Road, with police receiving a call at 04:04 BST.

In an update on the sequence of events, Nottinghamshire Police said investigations had found a man matching the suspect's description had attempted to get into a supporting living complex in Mapperley Road, but had been denied entry.

CCTV footage seen by the BBC shows a figure in a black hoodie being pushed away from a window and then confronted, before walking off.

The force believes the suspect then attacked 65-year-old Mr Coates - who was found dead from knife injuries in Magdala Road - and stole his van, which was then used to hit pedestrians in Milton Street, leaving one critically injured.

A 31-year-old man was Tasered by officers before being arrested on suspicion of murder.

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) has given more details of its involvement in the emergency.

A spokesman said it received an initial call to Ilkeston Road at 04:05, then a second call at 05:25 to Milton Street.

It did not get a call to Magdala Road until 05:39, where CPR was being performed on a victim by police.

Police have now formally identified the three victims.

Mr Webber, from Taunton, Somerset, was a history student at Nottingham, with a particular interest in US and China geopolitics.

He was a "key member" of Bishops Hull Cricket Club and had been selected for the university team. He also played hockey and rugby.

His family said: "Complete devastation is not enough to describe our pain and loss at the senseless murder of our son.

"Barnaby Philip John Webber was a beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to."

The family of Ms O'Malley-Kumar - a first-year medical student who excelled in hockey and cricket - issued a statement saying: "Grace was an adored daughter and sister; she was truly wonderful and a beautiful young lady.

"We were so incredibly proud of Grace's achievements and what a truly lovely person she was."

Mr Coates, who police had previously said was in his 50s, was described by LEAD Academy Trust as a "much-loved colleague who always went the extra mile".

Visiting the scene where Mr Coates was found fatally stabbed, his sons Lee and James Coates said their dad was due to retire in four months.

"We know as much as everybody else," Lee said. "He was a die-hard [Nottingham] Forest fan and an avid fisherman.

"He used to take under-privileged kids fishing just to get away from crime. You genuinely couldn't find a nicer guy.

"If we had to think about it, he'd be lying in a bed with us holding his hand, him dying naturally in 20 to 30 years' time."

"Not dying on a street because some guy decided it's not his day today," James added.

Kaleigh Wylie, 35, said she attended the River Leen School in Bulwell - where Mr Coates used to work - in the early 2000s.

"Ian worked alongside Jimmy, another caretaker in the school, both very well-loved, and in his spare time Ian used to take all the lads on fishing tournaments for the school," she said.

"He never shouted, never got angry with any of us children, and we all know us children are a handful as teenagers, but he never did."

A vigil at the University of Nottingham on Wednesday afternoon has been attended by thousands of people, including relatives of Ms O'Malley-Kumar and Mr Webber.

Candles were lit and flowers laid for the pair.

The Reverend Grant Walton, from the university chaplaincy team, told mourners: "This is one of those moments which we hoped we'd never encounter.

"Students and staff of the university, community members and, most importantly, family and friends of precious Grace and Barnaby, some travelling many miles to be with us."

The university's vice-chancellor Professor Shearer West said the lives of the two 19-year-olds had been "curtailed" by a "seemingly random" act of violence.

She said: "What should have been a time of celebration and relaxation following the exam period has become a time to mourn tragic loss in the most unimaginable of circumstances."

Another vigil is planned in the Old Market Square at 17:30 on Thursday, during which the Council House lights will be switched off and a minute's silence held.

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