Heartbreaking notes pay tribute to Nottingham attack victim Ian Coates

2023-06-15

‘We miss you dearly grandad’: Heartbreaking notes pay tribute to Nottingham attack victim Ian Coates as football shirts are left in honour of the 65-year-old school caretaker murdered as he made his way to work

The heartbroken son of the school caretaker stabbed to death in the Nottingham atrocity has left a shirt of his father’s beloved football team signed with the words: ‘Dad. Taken too soon. Love you’.

Father-of-three Ian Coates, 65, was on his way to work when he was stabbed to death by the killer, who then drove off with his van. Students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both 19, were also killed. Three others were injured, one critically.

Yesterday two of Mr Coates’ sons Lee, 36, and James, 37, went to the scene of the murder in Magdala Road, Nottingham, to pay tribute to their ‘pillar of the community’ father, a Nottingham Forest fanatic who had helped thousands of the city’s children.

James left a Forest home shirt, signed with the message: ‘Dad. Taken too soon. Rest in peace. You will be missed. Love you. J x’.

And in another incredibly moving tribute, one of Mr Coates’ grandchildren left a note. Calling him ‘Grandad whiskers’, presumably because of his moustache. The message said: ‘Missed every minute and every hour. We miss you dearly’.

He was due to retire at the end of the school term, next month. One colleague wrote: ‘So desperately sad that you didn’t get to enjoy your impending retirement. Rest in peace knowing how highly thought of and loved you clearly were by all that were fortunate to know you’.

Nottingham school caretaker Ian Coates was named as the third victim of the atrocity. His family and friends are heartbroken

A Nottingham Forest shirt at Magdala Road in Nottingham, left by James Coates, a son of school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, who was found fatally stabbed as he left for work

One of Mr Coates’ grandsons left a moving tribute to ‘Grandad Wiskers (sic)’

Colleagues revealed he was about to retire

Lee Coates (yellow top) and James Coates (white top), the sons of school caretaker Ian Coates, visit the scene with other family members to lay flowers and place football tops on the pavement in Magdala Road, Nottingham, where the 65-year-old was found stabbed

The school caretaker stabbed to death in the Nottingham atrocity was today remembered as a ‘true gentleman’ and one student thanked him for rescuing her in one of many tributes left close to where he was murdered.

Tributes were also left at the scene, including peonies and a note from one Year 4 student who wrote: ‘Dear Mr Coates, thank you for rescuing me when I got trapped in the toilet.’.

In a poignant nod to all he had done for thousands of children in the city, she said: ‘Thank you for helping our school. All your hard work paid off. We will miss you’.

The note was discovered and shared by Darshna Soni, Communities Editor at Channel 4.

Another former student tweeted: ‘He was a legend. One of the nicest guys you’d ever wish to meet, a true gentleman’.

A poignant note left for Father-of-three Ian Coates, 65, who helped so many children in his life

Barnaby Webber, a gifted cricketer who was in his first year of university, was one of two students killed in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Youth England hockey star Grace O’Malley-Kumar was stabbed to death alongside her friend

Nottingham is preparing for another vigil after the heartbroken families of the two students killed in the knife and van attack in the city were joined by thousands of people in their grief at the university’s main campus.

Relatives of medical student Grace O’Malley-Kumar and history student Barnaby Webber could be seen embracing at the vigil on Wednesday.

Mr Coates’ ‘broken’ son Lee said the tragedy had ‘rocked everyone’s world’, adding: ‘If we had to think about it, he’d be lying in a bed with us holding his hand, him dying naturally in 20 to 30 years’ time.’

‘Not dying on a street because some guy decided it’s not his day today,’ his brother James added.

He went on: ‘He was everyone’s friend, always willing to help.’

Their father was killed on the route he took every day to work. It is thought he was flagged down by a stranger on Magdala Road and knifed before his white van was stolen and used to try to run over people in the city centre standing at a bus stop.

One of the trio hit was last night still in a critical condition.

James said: ‘He was already ill and had been advised to take time off. He was a grafter, getting up and leaving his house at five o’clock.’

‘We don’t know [what happened] – I’ve asked this question a million times. I want to know. He wasn’t a big fella.

‘Nobody deserved this, and he definitely didn’t deserve this. None of them did, the students definitely didn’t. It’s a tragedy.’ The brothers said their father was an avid Nottingham Forest supporter and a ‘massive football fan’.

Mr Coates was also a keen fisherman and Lee said he ‘used to take underprivileged kids fishing just to get away from crime.’ He added: ‘You genuinely couldn’t find a nicer guy.’

Lee is a head chef at the Binks Yard venue in the city, where many students, including other victims Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, had gathered on Monday for an all-day festival.

Mr Coates’s grandson left a bouquet of flowers with a message ‘we miss you dearly’, while the two brothers left football shirts with their own loving messages.

The murdered man’s brother, Phil Coates, described the attack as ‘barbaric’ but said the family was also thinking of the murdered students.

He tweeted: ‘I can’t sleep trying to understand what’s happened, Ian had led a good life but Grace and Barnaby were just starting out, just absolutely numb at the moment.’

Pupils and colleagues at the primary school where he worked were stunned to discover he was one of the victims.

Ross Middleton, executive headteacher of the Huntingdon Academy, said: ‘Ian was a much-loved colleague who always went the extra mile for the benefit of our children and will be greatly missed.

‘As a school community, it will take time to process this deeply upsetting news.’ Diana Owen, of the Academy Trust, said: ‘I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear about this tragic news.

‘Ian was a beloved and respected member of the Huntingdon Academy staff. My thoughts are with his family and friends.’

The heartbroken families of two students killed in the knife and van attack in Nottingham on Tuesday told thousands of students at a vigil in their memories to ‘look after each other’.

Relatives of medical student Grace O’Malley-Kumar and history student Barnaby Webber could be seen embracing as crowds joined them in their grief on the University of Nottingham’s main campus.

Grace 19, was walking home after a celebratory night out in the city to mark the end of exams with Barnaby, also 19, when the unnamed suspect, 31, is said to have stabbed the teenagers to death.

He then went on to knife another victim, school caretaker Ian Coates, steal his van and use it to plough into three people in an horrific rampage.

Barnaby’s father David told those gathered he has lost his ‘baby boy’ and that ‘his heart will be with you guys forever’, while Grace’s father Sanjoy thanked the students for showing their love and ‘bond’ with one another.

Barnaby’s father, brother and mother (left) and Grace’s parents (right) at the vigil on Wednesday night

The parents of student victims Barnaby and Grace hugging one another at the vigil

Grace O’Malley Kumar’s father Sanjoy (right) and Barnaby Webber’s father David (right) speak during a vigil at the University of Nottingham on Wednesday

The parents of the two friends, both 19, embraced in emotional scenes at the university

The mothers grieve together – Emma Webber pictured hugging Grace’s mother Sinead

Speaking through tears, Mr Webber said: ‘I’ve lost my baby boy, and I can’t even comprehend how I’m going to deal with it… myself and Emma and Charlie and his family and friends.

‘Well I know Barney would be super touched by everyone that’s here.

‘He loved it. He loved it here. He couldn’t wait to come back. It drove me mad. His heart will be with you guys forever and thank you so much. I really can’t talk much more.’

Tributes to the students, both talented athletes, have poured in since they were stabbed to death as they walked home from a night out in Nottingham just after 4am on Tuesday, as well as the third victim of the violence, primary school caretaker Ian Coates, who was also remembered at the event.

Grace’s father told crowds at the University of Nottingham: ‘To everyone here, I really want to thank you for your support, for taking the time to be here.

‘All of you guys, everywhere I look I see a sea of people. Such a lovely sign of the university and the bond you have.

‘Grace was also like Barney, she loved coming up to Nottingham, in fact, we couldn’t get her down.

‘I said to her last week, ‘come down’, and she said, ‘well after I’ve had a few more sessions’ [nights out]. I used to call them her crisis meetings.

‘The love that we have out here I just wish that we had it everywhere.

‘Look after each other. Look after your friends, and look after people around you. It’s so important.

‘Grace and her friend they fell together and you just, you need to be friends with everyone and you need to love everyone, and I wish we had more of it.

‘But most of all, all of you guys, everyone here who Grace may not have even touched, I really thank you for being here and taking the time, I really do.

‘It means so much to Sinead, my wife and me. She loved being here and she loved all of you, she really did and you should all feel very blessed.

‘She was so full of her stories and things that she said about all of you. You all touched her life and therefore ours, you will never be forgotten by us.

‘We have children who were taken away prematurely from us, and that should never happen to any parent. But all I can say to all of you guys is thank you for the things you did for our daughter and Barney.’

Addressing the huge crowd, Dr Kumar thanked everyone who had come to the event and said it was a ‘lovely sign of the university and the bond you have’

Dr Sanjoy Kumar and his wife Sinead have been pictured comforting one another

The families of Barnaby and Grace were pictured together at the vigil

Grace O’Malley-Kumar’s team mates attend the vigil at the University of Nottingham

Grace O’Malley-Kumar, 19, was one of two University of Nottingham students who was stabbed to death while walking home after a night out at 4am on Tuesday

Grace O’Malley-Kumar pictured with her father Dr Sanjoy Kumar, mother Sinead and brother James

Grace has been a star for England’s young hockey programme having been selected on a national level for both the under-16s and under-18s squads

Barnaby Webber was a keen sports player who teammates described as ‘one of the nicest people they’d ever met’

Visibly emotional throughout the service Dr Kumar fought back the tears as he paid tribute to his daughter

Thousands of mourners have gathered on the campus

Grace Kumar’s father and Barnaby Webber’s brother, Charlie, embrace ahead of a vigil

The family of Barnaby Webber (left to right) father David Webber, brother Charlie Webber, and mother Emma Webber

Pictures from the scene on the University of Nottingham campus show thousands mourners from all walks of life huddled together holding flowers.

Teammates of both students were pictured at the vigil, as those who knew the young friends cried and embraced one another.

In heartbreaking scenes, Grace’s father Dr Sanjoy Kumar, who previously saved the lives of three teenagers who were stabbed in a gang attack near his surgery, was pictured hugging Barnaby’s brother, Charlie.

The 31-year-old suspect in the Nottingham van and knife attacks was allegedly known to MI5 after he knocked on their door and asked to be let in last summer.

Police arrested a man, believed to be a west African national who has been living in the UK since his teens and who has a history of mental health issues, at 5.40am on Tuesday morning on suspicion of murder.

This followed the fatal stabbings of students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, as well as school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, and the injury of three people who were hit by a van.

The man, who has not yet been named, turned up at MI5’s headquarters in London in August, the Sun reports.

He was allegedly ‘moved on’ by security personnel after his name was logged, following him demanding to be let in the building.

The 31-year-old suspect is reported to have been known to MI5 after turning up at its headquarters

Footage released on Wednesday showed a man attempting to enter a homeless shelter in the early hours of Tuesday morning

The man reportedly turned up outside MI5’s HQ in London (pictured) in August 2022

A security source told the paper: ‘He turned up one day and literally started banging on the door. He was moved on and logged.

‘This happens from time to time.’

The Home Office declined to comment on the allegations when contacted by MailOnline.

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