The mother of one of the victims of the Nottingham attack has paid tribute to her “beautiful boy” as thousands gathered for a vigil in the city centre.
Emma Webber called the killer a “monstrous individual” but told the crowd: “He’s just a person. Please don’t have any hatred related to any colour, sex or religion.”
Holding a photo of Barnaby, and with his little brother by his side, she added: “My beautiful, beautiful boy – you have mine, your father’s and your brother’s heart forever.”
The families of the victims speak at the vigil, how it happened
The children of school caretaker Ian Coates wore football shirts with ‘RIP Dad’ on the back as they spoke publicly for the first time.
“He seems to have touched a lot of hearts over the years, more than we assumed and knew he had,” said James Coates.
“So it’s been really nice and heartwarming to see the messages, and people coming out and talking about what it was like when they were younger and how it’s helped them … lovely feedback.”
Ian Coates’ children pay tribute
There was a minute of silence, and then some applause
Coates described his father as “a keen fisherman who loved his family and also loved Nottingham Forest”.
He promised to support the other grieving families: “Whatever they need from us, we are here for them,” he said.
Grace O’Malley-Kumar’s mother also gave an emotional speech, saying her 19-year-old “treasure” was beautiful both inside and out.
“She wanted very few things in life, she wanted to be a doctor, she wanted to play hockey with her friends, she wanted to have fun,” said Dr. Sinead O’Malley.
“All they were doing was walking home. They were just walking home after a night out,” he added. “This person needs to face justice. It’s really unfair.”
Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber
Ian Coates. Image: Huntingdon Academy
Grace’s younger brother James described her as a “best friend” and urged the crowd to “cherish every moment with your loved ones because you never know when it’s going to end”.
His father also spoke, fighting back tears at times as he said his family, like the Webbers, had suddenly “become three.”
“Imagine a world of just love and no violence. Just imagine this world,” he added.
Read more:
The “selfless” and “brilliant guy” caregiver
Timeline of how the attacks unfolded
Grace’s mother: ‘Say prayers for my little girl’
There was a minute’s silence in the city’s Old Market Square and, at the request of Barnaby’s mother, a moment of applause.
The director of the school Mr. Coates and the Vice-Chancellor of Nottingham University also paid tribute.
Meanwhile, police have 36 more hours to question the suspect in the attacks and have revealed that i used to be a university student in the city.
Detectives are keeping an open mind about a motive.
The 31-year-old suspect was tasered and arrested on suspicion of murder following the Tuesday morning killings.
Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webberboth 19, were found stabbed in Ilkeston Road at around 4am.
Man caught on CCTV trying to break into homeless shelter
Ian Coatesaged 65, was also found dead from stab wounds in Magdala Road, with his van stolen and used to run over people in Nottingham city centre.
One person was left in critical condition after the attack.
Video from the same morning also shows a man believed to be the suspect trying to climb through a window of a homeless shelter before being thrown out.
