Ian Coates
Died 13 June 2023
Who they were
Ian was the site manager at Huntingdon Academy in Nottingham and was four months from retirement but, as his sons James and Lee put it, "still grafting". The head teacher called him a much-loved colleague who always went the extra mile for the children. He was a lifelong Nottingham Forest fan, and many at his vigil wore red in his honour.
What happened
In the early hours of 13 June 2023, three people were stabbed to death in Nottingham by a man in a severe psychotic episode, who then drove a stolen van into pedestrians. He admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and in January 2024 was ordered to be detained indefinitely in a high-security hospital.
Verdict / confirmation
Nottingham Crown Court, 25 Jan 2024: manslaughter by diminished responsibility (x3) + attempted murder (x3); indefinite hospital order with restrictions. Court of Appeal (May 2024) found it not unduly lenient.
Perpetrator: A 31-year-old born in Guinea-Bissau; dual Bissau-Guinean/Portuguese national who came to the UK in 2007 with his parents (EU settled status).