The family of a victim of a tragic incident in Nottingham expresses shock over the way police handled an officer who accessed distressing bodycam footage of their deceased child.
Emma Webber, the mother of Barnaby, who was tragically killed by Valdo Calocane, feels deeply disappointed after learning that the officer in question was allowed to quietly resign despite being informed that he had been dismissed.
Deputy Chief Constable Steve Cooper of Nottingham Police stated that Ilsadin Skenderaj had been terminated following a misconduct investigation for viewing the footage for official purposes.
This information was reiterated by then-Chief Constable Kate Meynell in a letter to the families of both Barnaby and Grace O’Malley Kumar, who were also fatally attacked by Calocane in June 2023.
Despite the official statements, Skenderaj was not officially dismissed and chose to resign in September before the misconduct hearing in December.
While off duty at home, Skenderaj watched 12 different recordings, including footage of paramedics providing medical aid to Barnaby and Grace, both aged 19, and placing them in body bags, despite not being involved in the case.
Ms. Webber expressed her distress, saying, “Nottinghamshire Police completely failed us in the case of Special Constable Ilsadin Skenderaj. He watched extensive footage of my son and his friend’s final moments, the most personal and distressing moments. The chief constable assured us he was disciplined and fired.”
“He [Skenderaj] resigned before facing any real consequences. They concealed the truth and kept us uninformed about the full extent of the misconduct until the public inquiry revealed the details.”
“It is truly heartbreaking that such a breach of trust was allowed to go unpunished.”
University students Barnaby and Grace were brutally attacked by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane while walking home from a night out. Calocane also killed school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, before driving into pedestrians. He is currently under an indefinite hospital order.
Skenderaj, who also appeared to run a property rental business in addition to his role as a special constable, viewed footage of Calocane’s arrest and time inside an ambulance. Despite his actions, his devices were not confiscated, and he declined a police interview.
Police personnel often have access to evidence systems for their work, even if they are not directly involved in an investigation.
However, they are expected to access information solely for legitimate policing purposes. Special constables are part-time volunteer officers. The inquiry into the incident revealed that Nottinghamshire Police was hesitant to investigate how many times staff inappropriately accessed images and footage from that tragic day.
A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police stated, “The officer resigned before a gross misconduct hearing, where he was found guilty in absentia. Had he not resigned, he would have been dismissed. He was also added to the police barred list.”
