Prosecutors have accepted Nottingham triple-killer pleas of not guilty to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to “serious” mental illness.
Valdo Calocane pleaded guilty in November to the manslaughter of Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19-year-old university students, and Ian Coates, 65, a caretaker, who all died after being attacked on June 13.
His pleas of not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter were accepted at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.
He also admitted attempting to murder three pedestrians who were hit by a van he had stolen from Mr Coates on June 13 last year.
Calocane’s barrister Peter Joyce KC told a previous hearing the defendant “does not dispute the physical facts of the prosecution’s case” but was suffering from “extreme” mental illness at the time of the incident.
Calocane, 32, fatally knifed Miss O’Malley-Kumar and Mr Webber, who were studying medicine and history at the University of Nottingham respectively, on Ilkeston Road at around 4am on June 13.
Mr Coates was then found dead in Magdala Road around an hour later, having also been stabbed “repeatedly”.
The defendant then used Mr Coates’ van to drive at three pedestrians, Wayne Birkett, Marcin Gawronski and Sharon Miller, in Milton Street and South Sherwood Street.
They all survived the attack.
The prosecution’s decision to accept the pleas entered by Calocane in November means he will not face trial for murder.
Calocane, who appeared in the dock wearing a dark suit and light blue shirt, now faces a sentencing hearing expected to last for around two days.