Parents of Nottingham victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar back calls to give her George Cross so ‘she is remembered for ever’
THE parents of Nottingham knife attacks victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar have backed MPs’ calls for their daughter to be awarded the George Cross — saying it would ensure she is remembered for ever.
The 19-year-old died trying to save pal Barnaby Webber as he was stabbed repeatedly in the street by frenzied Valdo Calocane.
A judge recognised her incredible “sacrifice” and “astonishing bravery” while MPs and senior cops have called for the England under-18s hockey player to receive the highest civilian honour for courage.
Heartbroken mum Sinead O’Malley said: “The George Cross would be a remarkable acknowledgement of her bravery, for sure.
“Grace is never coming back to us, but we never want her to be forgotten, and this would certainly make sure she is remembered for ever.
“Our hope is it would help her be remembered as the wonderful person that she was, and not just for the horrendous fate she suffered.”
Dad Dr Sanjoy Kumar added: “The bravery she showed was incredible for a young girl.
“The accolade would be an example to every other young person.
“The foundation that we’ve set up for Grace — its motto is ‘Let’s be more like Grace’.
“The world, never mind just England, deserves people like Grace.”
Brother James said: “She was a hero, that was her character.
“She tried her best to save her friend.
“She tried her best and that’s who Grace was.”
The George Cross, recommended by the Prime Minister, has been awarded only 160 times since being introduced in 1940.
It is reserved for “the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger”.
Grace showed just that when Calocane lashed out in a rampage that left three people dead in June last year.
After slaughtering university students Grace and Barnaby, he killed 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates, stole his van and used it to injure three people at a nearby bus stop.
In January, Nottingham crown court heard Grace had gone to Barnaby’s aid as he was knifed ten times.
She screamed, “Don’t do it” and “Why would you do that?” — then fought for 30 seconds before she too fell, suffering 23 wounds from Calocane’s double-edged hunting knife.
‘Selfless bravery’
The killer denied murder.
His guilty plea on three manslaughter charges was accepted and he was sentenced to be detained indefinitely at a high-security hospital.
Tory MP Marco Longhi, who sits on the Home Affairs select committee, said: “Grace showed selfless bravery.
“Her remarkable effort should be rewarded with a posthumous George Cross.
“This would be a fitting tribute to her and it would be a fitting legacy for her heroism.”
Fellow Tory MP David Morris added: “I fully back calls for Grace to be given the ultimate honour which will recognise what she did in Nottingham.”
Grace’s family first learned of her bravery when they endured the horror of being shown police CCTV of the attack.
Sanjoy said: “I turned my back.
“The attack was at the corner of my eye, and I was being told by the officers that Grace is fighting and fought Valdo Calocane valiantly for the time that she could.
“You know what the police’s exact words were? — ‘She tried to fight, and fight, and fight’.
Her remarkable effort should be rewarded with a posthumous George Cross
Tory MP Marco Longhi
“Unfortunately, Barnaby was in no position to fight him at all and then he turned back on Barnaby and then left.”
Sanjoy and Sinead confess to being torn over the pride in their daughter’s incredible bravery and the heartache of her paying with her life by not fleeing when she had the chance.
Sanjoy said: “It’s so bittersweet, isn’t it?”
Grace, whose four grandparents were all doctors, became one of the youngest vaccinators in the pandemic — riding her Vespa scooter to patients’ houses as a 16-year-old.
Sanjoy said: “She didn’t want to hide, she wanted to actually serve the country.
“She said, ‘I’m going to be a doctor, I’m going to join the Army’.”
The victims’ families are continuing to call for Calocane to face murder charges.
THE SUN SAYS:
TODAY The Sun calls for the incredible bravery of Grace O’Malley-Kumar to be honoured with a George Cross.
She was only 19 when she died trying to save pal Barnaby Webber from hulking knife killer Valdo Calocane.
She was a sporty teenager. She could have run away. Instead, she fought and fought. As her heartbroken mum tells us today: “Grace is never coming back to us — but we never want her to be forgotten.”
The George Cross is Britain’s highest bravery award, equal to the military-only Victoria Cross. It is for “acts of the greatest heroism or most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger”.
Every word applies to Grace.
The medal is rare. It must be recommended by the PM and awarded by the monarch.
So The Sun urges Rishi Sunak and His Majesty King Charles: Honour Grace with that gong. She was an example to us all.
Let the memory of her heroism never fade.