Bold claim: when mental health crises collide with police powers, the line between safety and escalation can blur—and this case lays it bare. But here's where it gets controversial: the evidence raises serious questions about how force is used, how information is shared, and how far professionals can rely on medical input in urgent, high-stress moments. Below is a rewritten, uniquely worded version that preserves all key facts and context, with added clarifications and accessible explanations.
Valdo Calocane allegedly headbutted and punched a police officer.
An inquiry reviewed events from 3 September 2021, when officers were summoned to execute a Section 135 warrant under the Mental Health Act. Under this provision, police may enter a private residence, even by force if needed, to take a person to a place of safety for an assessment.
The inquiry established that officers went to Calocane’s home to support medical professionals who were already present, because Calocane was resisting accompanying them.
Body-worn camera footage captured Calocane declaring that he did not need an assessment, asserting there was nothing wrong with him.
During the footage, Calocane added: “Listen, I don’t have a history of mistreating women. Gentlemen if you want to take me out, I prefer you do it.” Pritchard, giving evidence, interpreted that remark to mean Calocane favored removal from the property by him rather than any of the three female officers present.
The inquiry learned that officers had followed Calocane into a bedroom, fearing he might barricade himself in.
PC Rachel Wakefield attempted to persuade him to go with the doctors, while Sgt Louise Ellis, also present, indicated she took hold of Calocane’s arm.
Shortly thereafter, Calocane launched an assault.
The footage showed a struggle as Calocane was restrained against furniture. Shouts of “stop it” and “don’t hit him” could be heard on the recording.
An incapacitant spray was used on Calocane, seemingly without effect, before a Taser was deployed.
Calocane’s screams and grunts were audible as the Taser was used twice, purportedly to subdue him.
He was then restrained on a bed, handcuffed, and heard swearing.
Pritchard testified that Calocane had attempted to swing the handcuffs at him before he was stopped.
On the video, while lying on the bed in handcuffs, Calocane remarked: “You did good, yeah. You didn’t go down.”
James Coates, a son of Ian Coates, left the hearing as the footage played, while Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby Webber, sobbed and called the scene “disgusting.”
The inquiry noted that Calocane, referred to throughout as VC, was initially taken to Queen’s Medical Centre, following the use of a Taser after the attack on Pritchard, in line with police protocol, before being transferred to Highbury Hospital for a mental health assessment.
Ellis explained that when she requested information about Calocane’s mental health from a doctor who conducted the assessment, the doctor offered only a statement describing what he observed during the assault on Pritchard and was reluctant to share any diagnosis or future plans. She indicated that such information would be necessary for the Crown Prosecution Service to consider.
She described the doctor’s reticence, citing patient-doctor confidentiality, and added that obtaining information from mental health providers was “really difficult.”
Wakefield recalled the challenges of attending mental health-related incidents. She noted that, despite training, many of these calls feel like a losing battle. She observed that people spend years studying mental health, whereas police officers often respond to such jobs with limited, sometimes single-day training. She described a growing mismatch, where often a mental health professional is needed more than a police officer, and asserted that officers do their best under trying circumstances.
The inquiry continues.
