Nottingham victim Barnaby Webber awarded honorary degree in emotional ceremony

Nottingham attack victim Barnaby Webber has been awarded an honorary degree.

The 19-year-old was killed alongside fellow student Grace O’Malley-Kumar, also 19, when they were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane in a series of attacks on June 13, 2023 that also saw 65-year-old Ian Coates lose his life. Mr Webber received an honorary History degree while Ms O’Malley-Kumar, who was studying to receive a Bachelor of Medical Science, will also receive a full posthumous medical degree in 2027.

Barnaby's mum Emma said attending in person would have been too painful. Instead, some of Barney's closest friends and his brother and godmother turned up the graduation ceremony to accept the honour on behalf of the family.

READ MORE: Final text Barnaby Webber's mum still reads one year after Nottingham attack

These included his brother Charlie, 17, along with Barney’s Godmother Abi Rawlins, plus a small number of his closest friends from home and at University. Barney’s parents said: “We are glad that Barney is receiving his degree. It’s the very least he deserves.

“Sadly the pain of attending the ceremony in person is one step too far for us. We are so proud that Charlie has chosen to be there on our behalf.

“His bravery, maturity and resilience is extraordinary. Graduation is a key moment in your journey as a parent. It signifies the beginning of your precious child’s next stage in life. That this moment has been stolen from Barney, along with his future, is a cruelty that is unbearable and unfathomable.

“On this day, instead of deep sadness we will try to be grateful for all we did have with him and for the impact he had in the precious time he got to spend with us. We must also take time to pause and send our love to his brave beautiful friend Grace O’Malley-Kumar and to the memory of Ian Coates who we know was a truly kind, generous and good soul.”

During the graduation ceremony, a special tribute by Barney's parents, Emma and David was read out. They said: "There are no words ever spoken that can convey our grief and devastation at losing Barney. However, there are infinite ones that we can use to describe our beautiful son.

"Here are just a few: Kind. Funny. Irreverent. Caring. Adventurous. Carefree. Proud. Argumentative (with his parents!). Charming. Handsome. Generous. Exceptional. Normal. Remarkable. Resilient. Compassionate. Exceptional. Determined. Modest (mostly!). Boundless. Brave, Cheerful and most of all AUTHENTIC. We are so sad that we are not able to attend today’s ceremony. It's just too painful for us. As many parents who are sat here today will know, this is a day that you dream of for your children. A pivotal moment in their lives when they take the next steps into their future. That Barney's future was so horrifically taken from him on June 13th 2023 is unimaginable cruelty.

"What we do know is that in the all too precious time he had with us all he made a difference, and he had impact. Perhaps not in grandiose or seismic ways, but in his own inimitable ability to make friends, love his life and be a steady hand of support to so very many. His large groups of friends at home and here at university are testament to that. He cared little for background, looks, achievements or status; if he liked you he liked you, and that was enough for him. Countless people have told us of the difference he made to them; and for that we will always be so thankful.

"He absolutely loved every moment of his year here at the University. It was his dream to come here and one he worked hard to achieve; we remember the moment at home in our kitchen when he had confirmation of his place on A-Level results day in the Summer of 2022. A beaming smile came to his face and pretty much stayed put from then on.

"Thank you to the University for enabling this to happen today. It is with great pride that his younger brother Charlie accepts the award on all of our behalf. Charlie, you are exceptional. You really are. You know how proud we are of you. Your bravery, resilience and determination astound us. Barney may have eye rolled, tormented and teased you mercilessly, but you must know just how much he loved you too.

"To all who are here to quite rightly celebrate your graduation day. A huge well done. This is your day. We have just one ask of you if we may? When you have a much deserved drink later on to toast your success, please also raise a glass for Barney. He’d love that. We spend much of our time trying to find strength to face all that we must. A quote that we often reflect on was written over two centuries go by William Hazlitt; a great literary figure and philosopher.

"We’d like to share this with you all here today as you step onwards: Look up, Laugh loud, talk big, keep the colour in your cheek and the fire in your eye. To Barnaby Philip John Webber; we love you, we miss you, and we are so so proud of you. Mum & Dad."

Professor Jane Norman, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Nottingham, said: "We pay tribute to our two wonderful students, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barney Webber, who should be here celebrating with the Class of 2025 as they graduate - Grace with a BMedSci (hons) Medicine and Barney with a BA (hons) History - and looking forward to their next exciting chapter. Our university community holds all those who loved Grace and Barney in our hearts as they mark this important and difficult milestone. It will be an emotional and bittersweet time for many of Grace and Barney’s cohort, and indeed everyone who has classmates missing today, who will be remembering their friends with warmth and affection and celebrating their achievements on a day when many of them will be graduating themselves.”

Mr Webber, who hailed from Taunton, Somerset, was coming to the end of his first year at the university when he was killed on his way home from a night out by the twisted Calocane.

Calocane then went onto to kill Mr Coates, using Mr Coates’s van to drive into three pedestrians. Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

He also pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder. In February, a judge-led public inquiry into the killings was announced by the prime minister following extensive campaigning by the victims’ families.

Speaking at the time the honorary degree was revealed, Mrs Webber said: “There are things I can do and things I can’t do and I cannot go because I think it would finish me off. But his best friends from university and his very best friend from school in Somerset and his brother and his godmother are going to go to accept his graduation on behalf of our family.

“That’s the level of real pain that we have to go through every day and we try not to expose that publicly because people don’t want or need to see it but I want to raise some light on what’s wrong and what needs changing.” Mrs Webber also revealed she had written to government ministers over her concerns around the Victims and Courts Bill, external, which is going through Parliament.

She said “more power and decision-making” would be given to hospital and probation managers on the consideration to release people with mental disorders and that all families would be able to do is “request information” given at the agency’s discretion. Mrs Webber added victims were “not being treated with the degree of humanity and rights we deserve”.

A government spokesperson said: “The bill will ensure all victims can request important information about an offender regardless if they are in prison or hospital. We will continue to engage with victims and campaigners are the bill moves through Parliament.”

A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham said: “We will be offering posthumous degrees for both Barney and Grace at this summer’s graduation ceremonies in July and are working with their families to understand how they would prefer to mark this important milestone. We also appreciate that this likely to be an emotional day for many of their cohort, who will be remembering their friends Barney and Grace.”