Family of Grace O’Malley-Kumar call for end to knife crime ‘epidemic’

Knife crime is an “epidemic” in England and there is a need for increased awareness and education, the family of a 19-year-old university student who was stabbed to death has said.

On Tuesday, Valdo Calocane pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of two students – Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber – and caretaker Ian Coates in June 2023. His pleas were accepted on accounted of diminished responsibility due to mental illness. His sentencing hearing continues today.

Ms O’Malley-Kumar was the daughter of Irish-born, London-based consultant anaesthetist Sinead O’Malley.

Ms O’Malley spoke about when they found out their daughter had been killed. They had seen the BBC news story about the attacks and sent the link to their daughter in a group chat and asked her to get in touch.

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“The message was never read, and we called and we called and we called, but not for a moment did we think it was Grace. But we wanted that reassurance and we just got nothing,” she told BBC Breakfast.

“I had a phone call, a text, from one of Grace’s friends who was really quite frantic that they couldn’t get in touch with her. Mia, her friend from university, phoned me and said that Barney [Barnaby Webber] was dead and Grace was with Barney. They left together. And we knew then.”

Her father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said young people should be taught about knife crime, as it is an “epidemic”.

“Why is it that we don’t have campaigns about knife crime? Why is there not an ad on TV broadcasting about knife crime? Where is the deterrents for knife crime? The only way we will stop this in our country is if there is a massive deterrence to carrying knives,” he said.

James O’Malley-Kumar, her brother, said it is “easier to get access to a knife than it is to get access to alcohol”.

“There’s been enough families losing loved ones. Something has got to stop,” he said. “Losing Grace shouldn’t have had to be the wake up call for this.”

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