A public inquiry into the case of Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane revealed that mental health professionals hesitated to detain him due to concerns about the over-representation of young Black men in custody. Calocane, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, fatally attacked three individuals and injured three others in June 2023. Despite a violent incident in 2020 where he was arrested for kicking and punching a door, the professionals decided against sectioning him, weighing the implications of racial bias in their decision-making process.

During the inquiry, counsel Rachel Langdale KC articulated that mental health experts considered systemic racial issues while evaluating Calocane's case, ultimately leading to the decision not to detain him after the earlier violent incident. This raises critical questions about the intersection of mental health care, criminal justice, and race relations. The inquiry seeks to determine how such factors influenced the tragic outcome and what safeguards could prevent similar events in the future.

Valdo Calocane's actions and subsequent sentencing reflect a complex blend of mental health issues and societal concerns regarding racial inequalities within the justice system. As the inquiry unfolds, it aims to assess the failures that permitted Calocane to remain at large despite previous indications of violence, and it highlights the urgent need for reform in how mental health cases, particularly involving racially marginalized individuals, are handled by authorities.