We're unable to grieve for dad ahead of Nottingham attacks inquiry

The eldest son of a school caretaker who was stabbed to death during the Nottingham attacks has said waiting for answers has "put his life on hold" ahead of a forthcoming public inquiry into the killings.

Ian Coates, 65, and students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, were killed by Valdo Calocane, who also seriously injured Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski in a spate of attacks on 13 June 2023 that shook the city.

Now nearly three years on, Ian's son Darren Coates says he has chosen to speak out for the first time, because he wants people to know who his dad really was ahead of a government-ordered, judge-led public inquiry into the attacks, which is due to begin hearing evidence in London on 23 February.

Darren and his brothers Lee and James have all described feeling "stuck", but hope the long-awaited inquiry into failings from multiple authorities will give them and other affected families the answers that will give them enough closure to "move on".

It came after the victims' families expressed anger over the case when Calocane was sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024, and sparked a number of reviews that identified failings or criticisms of authorities such as the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the NHS.

The Nottingham Inquiry - being chaired by retired judge Her Honour Deborah Taylor - will undertake an independent assessment of the events leading up to the killings and provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents from happening.

It has already got under way but hearings as part of the inquiry will begin later this month.

Ian Coates's sons will all be part of proceedings, including 45-year-old father-of-two Darren, from Nottingham, who has been signed off work as a civil engineer due to mental health issues and has kept himself out of the public spotlight.

Ian worked at the Huntingdon Academy in Nottingham, and was four months from retirement when he was killed by Calocane, who stole his van and used it to plough into Birkett, Miller and Gawronski.

"It's been a whirlwind, my life, my work, everything's just changed. My mental health, it's all just changed," Darren said.

"He was way more than just the caretaker - he was a hero, he changed people's lives."

These words were echoed by brothers James, 40, and Lee, 39, who said their early memories of their father were someone who always helped others.

James said: "He was brought up with nothing - he had to work hard for what he had so, he was always trying to give back and give those opportunities to the less fortunate."

Ian was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, in 1957 and moved to Nottingham when he was a young boy.

He soon made the city his permanent home and was a regular at the City Ground to watch his beloved Nottingham Forest.

Ian's sons chose to be interviewed by the BBC at the football club, as it meant so much to their dad and joked "if Forest won, it was going to be a great weekend for everyone".

Lee added: "It's very hard sometimes, when you think of your dad and you try and mourn, and it tends to be negative thoughts that come to you straight away, but when I'm here, I don't think about any of the bad things.

"I just think about the times when my dad bought me here... some of the better times of his life."

He added: "I call it my church... it's a great way to escape the realities of what has been going on and it is some of the positive reminders I do have of my dad."

Darren said he lived with his dad full-time until he was about three years old, when his mum and dad split up, and said he missed a big part of his life over the years.

"I wish I had him right now, I wouldn't wish anything more than for him to be here," he said tearfully.

Ian's sons said growing up, their dad could be strict, but he loved them and worked hard for his family, sometimes having three jobs at once.

When the boys were young, they remember their dad as a full-time painter and decorator, who also did DIY for neighbours, which is when they first knew how generous he could be with his time.

Ian went on to work as a caretaker in schools in Nottingham, and set up a fishing club, using his own money, to teach children how to fish, which he did until his death.

Darren said: "Watching what he did... he turned no end of children's lives around and put people on different paths."

It will examine the events leading up to the deaths of Ian, and University of Nottingham students Barnaby Webber, from Taunton in Somerset, and Grace O'Malley Kumar, from London.

James and Lee told the BBC they have booked three months off work to be at the inquiry every day, alongside their brother Darren - and have been invited to give testimony.

Lee said: "I'm pinning a lot of hopes on this inquiry, not just for the reasons the inquiry's taking place for, but personally to then be able to start moving forward with my life again."

James added: "It's a lot to take on when we're having to go and do our normal lives, working full-time, come home and then have to sift through email threads, message threads, all this information that's coming through, just to get us prepared for this inquiry.

"We don't want to hide away from information, even how bad it's going to be... we still want to be able to see it and see the whole truth."

The brothers say they want those responsible for Calocane being on the streets in June 2023 to be held accountable - and to see changes so people do not ever have to be in their shoes.

The brothers said life for them had changed immeasurably since their father's death, and when the legal proceedings ended, they said they were unable to find closure.

Lee said: "It really hit me hard, I didn't find any closure and I still feel like I can't grieve properly because it still feels like a battle that we're going through.

"We still find out on a weekly, monthly basis about more wrongdoings, and things that could have been put in to place to prevent what happened to my dad that night.

"I'm hoping once the inquiry is all said and done that I can start trying to move forward."

Darren agreed, and said: "You're stood still in your life. You're still. We're still doing day-to-day but it's a weird feeling.

"I'm stuck until, I'm hoping fingers crossed, when this inquiry and the things come out and the truth's told, hopefully as a family, and the other families, we can get some closure to move on in life."

"The public in Nottingham can't feel safe if things like this are going to continue to happen," Darren added.