EXCLUSIVEI had to learn how my dad died in the Nottingham stabbings from social マスコミ: 管理人 Ian Coates' son 支払う/賃金s 尊敬の印 to a selfless father - and says the police have miserably failed all three families

James Coates doesn't believe in an afterlife, much as he wishes he did. Nonetheless, five days after his beloved father, Ian, was viciously stabbed to death on his way to work as a 管理人 at a Nottingham 最初の/主要な school, James, 38, sent him a message.

'Happy Father's Day, Dad, I hope you're now fishing in peace,' he said to a man whose passion for angling 支配するd much of his life. So much so, Ian 自由に gave his time to run an after-school fishing club for 奪うd youngsters.

James still texts his father, even though his phone is no longer in service.

'It's my way of speaking to him and telling him I 行方不明になる him,' says James, the middle of Ian's three sons. 'If there was to be an afterlife, I'd hope he'd be doing the things he enjoyed. It's a nice image to have in my 長,率いる.'

For, in truth, James has been tormented by the most terrible images of his father's dying moments since he became the third 犠牲者 of Valdo Calocane last summer.

James Coates?has been tormented by the most terrible images of his father's dying moments since he became the third victim of Valdo Calocane last summer

James Coates?has been tormented by the most terrible images of his father's dying moments since he became the third 犠牲者 of Valdo Calocane last summer

Ian Coates, 65, was a school caretaker who was on his way to work when he was killed by Calocane in Nottingham

Ian Coates, 65, was a school 管理人 who was on his way to work when he was killed by Calocane in Nottingham

A 32-year-old paranoid schizophrenic, Calocane's vicious 殺人,大当り spree in Nottingham also (人命などを)奪う,主張するd the lives of 19-year-old students Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar as they walked home in the 早期に hours after a night out.

Earlier this year, all three families (機の)カム together to 表明する 乱暴/暴力を加える at the CPS 決定/判定勝ち(する) not to 告発(する),告訴(する)/料金 Calocane with 殺人. Instead, his 嘆願 of 過失致死 on the grounds of 減らすd 責任/義務 was 受託するd by the 起訴, and he was 宣告,判決d to be 拘留するd at Ashworth High 安全 Hospital on Merseyside.

Ja mes's 怒り/怒る is directed not just at Calocane but at the way the families were 扱う/治療するd after the attack.

The Coateses were left to discover 決定的な 詳細(に述べる)s about Ian's death 経由で social マスコミ and were omitted from 重要な 会合s, while this week an open letter written by Barnaby's mother articulated the anguish 原因(となる)d by police officers who discussed in graphic 詳細(に述べる) the 傷害s 苦しむd by her son and Grace on a WhatsApp group.

Emma Webber wrote: 'When you say 'a couple of students have been proper butchered', did you stop to think about the 絶対の terror they felt when they were 待ち伏せ/迎撃するd and 繰り返して stabbed by a man who... lay waiting in the 影をつくる/尾行するs for them?

'When you say 'innards out and everything', did you think about the agony they felt and the final thoughts that went through their minds as this vicious individual (打撃,刑罰などを)与えるd 負傷させるs so serious they had no chance of 生き残るing?'

'I can't imagine how it must feel to read vile messages like that about your own child,' James says. 'Part of me is glad my dad's 傷害s aren't について言及するd because I don't know how I'd have 反応するd.'

Last month, Nottinghamshire Police was placed in special 対策 after His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and 解雇する/砲火/射撃 & 救助(する) Services said the 軍隊 needed to 改善する the way it managed its 調査s and 'make sure 犠牲者s get the support they need'.

一方/合間, a review by the 栄冠を与える 起訴 Service Inspectorate, looking into how the CPS 扱うd the 事例/患者, 結論するd 検察官,検事s were 権利 to 受託する the 過失致死 嘆願s, but 最高潮の場面d failings in the way it had 扱う/治療するd the 犠牲者s' 親族s, 特に the Coateses, who were not 招待するd to three 会合s the CPS and 検察官,検事s held with Barney and Grace's families.

Barnaby Webber, 19, also became a victim of Calocane as he walked home in the early hours after a night out

Barnaby Webber, 19, also became a 犠牲者 of Calocane as he walked home in the 早期に hours after a night out

Grace O'Malley-Kumar, 19, was with Barnaby when they were both attacked and killed

Grace O'Malley-Kumar, 19, was with Barnaby when they were both attacked and killed

'We 高く評価する/(相場などが)上がる there's more public 利益/興味 in two 19-year-old students than a man of 65,' says James. 'My dad was の近くに to 退職 and had lived a 十分な life. Barney and Grace were 有望な, sporty students with 大規模な 未来s a 長,率いる of them. The thought of them 存在 snatched away still 荒廃させるs me.

'But it's wrong that our family had 意味ありげに いっそう少なく (警察などへの)密告,告訴(状) and 接触する with the CPS and the police than the other families. I don't really raise my 発言する/表明する or shout, but it makes me angry.'

On June 13 last year, James, woke to hear of 'some sort of event' in the city centre on the breakfast news.

'That's when I first heard there'd been a stabbing 一連の会議、交渉/完成する the corner from where I live. I didn't even think it might be my dad. I was walking home at 3pm when I got a message from a 親族 説: 'I can't believe what's happened to your dad.'

'I thought it was a scam and that her phone had been 切り開く/タクシー/不正アクセスd . . . I called her after she messaged again, and she was in hysterics 説 my dad had been in a car 事故 and was dead.

'I rang my fiancee, Hannah, and I said, 'I think my dad's dead,' and my 脚s turned to jelly. I had to 持つ/拘留する myself up on a lamp 地位,任命する. I managed to get home where I 接触するd my mum and brothers.'

They gathered at James's house to make frantic calls. Ian, who'd been 離婚d from the boys' mother since James was 14, had a partner of more than 20 years, Elaine. Her son called to 確認する that Ian had been killed, but knew no more.

'We called the police helpline,' says James. 'We kept 説 we were Ian Coates's sons and asking for 解明. They kept telling us they'd give our (警察などへの)密告,告訴(状) to the 探偵,刑事s, but we never got a call until 5.10pm ― 12 hours after dad was 殺人d. We'd pieced it together by then from the news and social マスコミ.'

During the next two days, James and his brothers tried to get more (警察などへの)密告,告訴(状).

Elaine was 存在 supported by a family 連絡事務 officer but wasn't, James says, 'in any fit 明言する/公表する' to answe r questions.

'We tried to speak to the officer ourselves, but he just shut us 負かす/撃墜する.

'On TV we were seeing Rishi Sunak and other 政治家,政治屋s 説 they were happy the families of the 犠牲者s were getting support from the police, which wasn't true.'

James's brother, 物陰/風下, then got a call from police telling them their '肉親,親類d-hearted, selfless' father had been stabbed no より小数の than seven times, and had '防御の 負傷させるs' on his 手渡すs where he'd tried to fend off his 攻撃者. 'That's when I lost it,' 解任するs James. 'I've never cried so much in my life. Now I knew the extent of it, I could no longer think of him 存在 stabbed and dying 平和的に.

Ian with middle son James as a child

Ian with middle son James as a child

James and Hannah on their wedding day with Barnaby's parents, David and Emma Webber

James and Hannah on their wedding day with Barnaby's parents, David and Emma Webber

'That's the only time I've cried. Even now when I see pictures of my dad and think about him, I want to feel big emotions. I want to let it all go, but I can't. It's all inside.'

Seven months later, in 法廷,裁判所, the family learned that Ian was 現実に stabbed 15 times before Calocane stole his 先頭 and used it to mow 負かす/撃墜する, and 本気で 負傷させる, three other people.

James says all of this with little emotion. He is receiving counselling, but has had only six 開会/開廷/会期s after having to wait nine months for the therapy to begin.

'The image is so traumatic but, even worse, is the not knowing. I have so many questions,' he says.

'明白に, my dad was 運動ing to work but how was the 先頭 stopped? How did he get my dad's attention? Did he throw himself in 前線 of the 先頭? Did he pretend he was 負傷させるd and my dad pulled over to help him?'

Calocane was never 軍隊d to 直面する these questions at 裁判,公判, にもかかわらず all three families 存在 led to believe the attacks were 'a (疑いを)晴らす 事例/患者 of 殺人'.

Certainly, 逮捕(する)ing officers were 納得させるd, as James says, 'that it was an open and shut 事例/患者'.

Astonishingly, they failed to carry out a mental health 査定/評価 during 尋問, nor order toxicology 実験(する)s to 決定する whether there were 麻薬s or alcohol in the 殺し屋's system.

Six weeks after Calocane's 逮捕(する), a psychiatric 専門家 for the defence 査定する/(税金などを)課すd him and a 事例/患者 of 減らすd 責任/義務 began to be built. On January 23, the CPS 発表するd it had 受託するd 嘆願s of 過失致死 and three counts of 殺人未遂.

The day after the 殺人,大当りs, the Webbers and O'Malley-Kumars …に出席するd a 徹夜 for their children at Nottingham University.

'We weren't 招待するd because, 明白に, it was for Grace and Barney, but we 手配中の,お尋ね者 to 申し込む/申し出 our 弔慰s and see if we had an 適切な時期 to speak to the families to say who we were,' says James, a 小売 蓄える/店 経営者/支配人.

'There were so many people there, and the last thing we 手配中の,お尋ね者 to do was 追加する any more upset. As we were leaving, a 新聞記者/雑誌記者 who had seen us lay flowers told us there was a 徹夜 in the city centre the next day. We didn't know anything about it.'

Furious that James and his brothers were 存在 ignored by the police, his fianc?e, Hannah, 脅すd to speak to the マスコミ.

'The police agreed to give us a family 連絡事務 officer,' says James. 'But she was on holiday. They said she'd 接触する us on the Monday ― six days after my dad had been 殺人d. Until then, everything we were finding out was from the news or Twitter.'

Over the に引き続いて months James received letter upon letter about the little 親切s Ian had shown to people in his life. He thought that once Calocane had 直面するd 裁判,公判, he'd find some peace.

'The day before the pre-裁判,公判 審理,公聴会 [on November 28] I got a call from my family 連絡事務 officer to 知らせる me they were going to 受託する a 嘆願 for 減らすd 責任/義務 because of the paranoid schizophrenia.

'She asked if I could explain it to my brothers. I said: 'How can I when I don't understand it myself? 殺人 is 殺人.' '

At that point, James was unaware the other families had already met with the CPS and the C oateses hadn't been 招待するd.

'の直前に Christmas the 上級の 調査/捜査するing officer and the family 連絡事務 officer brought a laptop to my house to show us the CCTV (映画の)フィート数 of the timeline. They said there was also an 音声部の clip from someone's doorbell about my dad 存在 killed which might be played in 法廷,裁判所.

'When I asked the officer 'is it bad?', she said: 'Very.'?

In the end, the clip wasn't played, and James still hasn't heard it, にもかかわらず many requests.

'So I'm always going to be thinking: 'How bad?',' he says.

When Calocane was 宣告,判決d James didn't understand it.

'The 裁判官 was talking about section this and section that, and then he said: 'Take him away.' I had to Google and wait for the マスコミ to explain it.

'There's as much a 可能性 of him 存在 解放(する)d as there is of him staying there for the 残り/休憩(する) of his life, which doesn't sit 井戸/弁護士席 with me because he killed people.'

It didn't sit 井戸/弁護士席 with Grace and Barney's parents either. After the 宣告,判決ing, all three families stood on the courtroom steps, with the dignity that has defined them all, and spoke of how Calocane had 'got away with 殺人'.

They are now waiting for the findings of 調査s into the 扱うing of the 事例/患者 by Nottinghamshire Mental Health and the police, 同様に as the results of an 控訴,上告 into the 宣告,判決ing.

James says: 'The police 今後d us a four-page letter from Calocane's brother, Elias. Reading it was a smack in the 直面する. They seem to wipe their 手渡すs clean of any 悪事を働くこと as a family and 非難する the 政府 for 欠如(する) of 基金ing in mental health.'

Such is the friendship (1)偽造する/(2)徐々に進むd between these three grieving families that earlier this month Barney's parents, Emma and Dave, were in Nottingham to see James marry Hannah.

'It was 広大な/多数の/重要な to see them again and this time in a much more 肯定的な setting,' says James. 'It was also good to get to know them as the 広大な/多数の/重要な people they are, and not just Barney's parents.'

For James, the abse nce of his own father on the happiest day of his life was tempered by a sense of closeness.

'It was strange to look up and not see Dad there,' he says.

'I'm not a spiritual man, but I imagined if he was somewhere he'd be looking 負かす/撃墜する on me and feeling proud. Just like I hope he'd be proud of me now with the things I'm doing to try to 権利 some wrongs for him.'