Attacks survivors 'not considered' after data breach

The medical director of an NHS trust has apologised to the surviving victims of the Nottingham attacks for "not considering" them in initial investigations into the inappropriate access of medical records.

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust is investigating staff members over data breaches in the aftermath of attacks carried out by Valdo Calocane, who killed three and seriously injured three others on 13 June 2023.

The trust revealed last week 11 of its employees had been sacked after initial investigations into the breaches.

NUH medical director Manjeet Shehmar told a public inquiry - which is examining the killings - she was only aware of the attacks from "the media from afar".

Calocane - who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2020 - stabbed to death Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates.

He then stole Ian's van and used it to strike pedestrians Wayne Birkett, Sharon Miller and Marcin Gawronski, who were left with serious and life-changing injuries.

After the killings and Calocane's sentencing in January 2024, it emerged staff at the trust had accessed the victims' records illegitimately in 2025, prompting an internal investigation.

The Nottingham Inquiry heard that Shehmar became the strategic commander of those investigations.

However, initially, the trust only looked into inappropriate access of the deceased victims' records, rather than all of the victims.

On Wednesday the inquiry was told that of the 11 NUH staff members sacked, four were nurses, one was classed as an "other registered professional", with six "other staff" dismissed.

It was also revealed four doctors, five nurses, one "other registered professional" and two "other staff" members received final written warnings.

It was not until the solicitor of survivors Wayne and Sharon contacted the trust in March 2025, that NUH considered them, the inquiry was told.

Questioned on why, Shehmar said the trust's "focus" at the time was "very much on the deceased victims".

She added: "The second point to mention that myself as strategic commander - if I'm completely honest with you... I'm not from Nottingham.

"What I knew about this matter was really what I knew in the media and what I had read about previously in 2023 and with the media at that point.

"It had not come to my attention and at that point, I had not really considered the surviving victims."

Shehmar said she did not have the "in-depth context" to be able to ask for further information from others in the strategic group, who she said were "closer to the detail".

The executive medical director admitted she was not aware there were any surviving victims, but that if she had "sat and thought about it, [she] probably would have remembered".

Shehmar told the inquiry: "I apologise that we did not consider them from the beginning."

The inquiry continues.

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