The talented students and dedicated school caretaker killed in Nottingham attack

Barnaby Webber, Grace Kumar and Ian Coates died in an attack in Nottingham on Tuesday.

Here is what we know so far about the victims of Tuesday’s knife and van attack in Nottingham.

:: University of Nottingham history student Barnaby Webber, 19, was a keen cricketer whose family home was in Taunton in Somerset.

He was a former pupil of Taunton School, which he attended for his entire school career from nursery to sixth form, with a fellow ex-student describing him as a “wonderful young man with much to look forward to”.

Mr Webber played for cricket teams including Bishops Hull Cricket Club, where members called him a dear friend who was a key part of the club.

Barnaby Webber (second left) with his father David Webber, mother Emma Webber and brother Charlie Webber (right). — Barnaby Webber (second left) with his father David Webber, mother Emma Webber and brother Charlie Webber (right) (Family handout/PA)

He was also in the Combined Cadet Forces.

Mr Webber had a younger brother, Charlie, who along with his parents, David and Emma, described their “complete devastation” at his death.

:: Fellow student Grace O’Malley-Kumar, also 19, was a medical student who had volunteered during the national Covid-19 vaccination programme.

She was a talented hockey player who played for the England under-16 and under-18 squads, as well as teams including Southgate Hockey Club in north London.

Miss O’Malley-Kumar was also a gifted cricketer. Woodford Wells Cricket Club, in Essex, called the teenager “fun, friendly and brilliant”.

Grace Kumar was a medical student at the University of Nottingham (Lucy Sheffield/Southgate Hockey Club/PA)

According to reports, her father is thought to be Dr Sanjoy Kumar, a GP who saved three teenage victims of a knife attack in 2009.

She had one brother, called James.

:: The third victim was primary school caretaker Ian Coates.

The 65-year-old site manager worked at Huntingdon Academy in Nottingham.

Headteacher Ross Middleton said Mr Coates was “a much-loved colleague who always went the extra mile for the benefit of our children and will be greatly missed”.

Speaking at the scene of his death, his sons James and Lee said their father was a die-hard fan of Nottingham Forest, and was also a keen fisherman.

He took young people from deprived backgrounds fishing to try to deter them from crime, they told reporters.

The 65-year-old, who was due to retire in four months, was “everyone’s friend, always willing to help”, James Coates said.