Teenager Grace O’Malley-Kumar will be posthumously awarded the George Medal for her “incredible bravery” after she tried to save her friend Barnaby Webber during the Nottingham attacks.
The 19-year-old medical student was walking home with Barnaby, also 19, when both were attacked by Valdo Calocane in Nottingham city centre in June 2023.
After Calocane stabbed Barnaby, Grace rushed to his aid, pushing the assailant away before he turned on her in what prosecutors described as an “uncompromisingly brutal” assault.
The George Medal, established in 1940, is “awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circumstances where military honours are not appropriate”. Grace is one of 20 people honoured in the latest Gallantry Awards list. Her citation read: “Grace’s exceptional courage in the face of extreme danger serve as an outstanding example of personal bravery.”
The medal will be presented to Grace’s family.
She has been recommended for the honour by the King, in recognition of her actions during the attack that claimed her life. It follows a campaign for Gracee to be awarded the even more prestigious George Cross, the highest gallantry award given for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy – a drive which was backed last year by then-prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic, went on to stab school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, to death shortly after. He was later sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after pleading guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
A family friend told The Sun: “Grace was an athlete. She could have easily run away but her instinct was to stand by her friend and she paid the ultimate price for her courage.”
The friend added that the family are “incredibly grateful” for the recognition of this award for their “extraordinary, brave and beautiful daughter Grace”.
“The family are so proud of Grace because this act shows exactly the person they knew her to be – someone who never abandoned a friend,” they said.
During Calocane’s sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court, Grace’s father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, told him: “She heroically and valiantly fought you. Like a hero, she put herself in harm’s way.”
Other recipients of the George Medal include Richard O’Brien, who was awarded the King’s Gallantry Medal for intervening in an armed attack in Barnet in 2021, and Alicia Richards and Molly Bulmer, who received the King’s Commendation for Bravery for confronting an armed attacker at a school in Sheffield in May last year.
Sir Keir Starmer said: “This is what true courage looks like. In moments of unimaginable danger, these extraordinary people acted with selflessness and bravery that speaks to the very best of who we are as a nation.
“I want to pay tribute to all of the recipients, including Grace O’Malley-Kumar who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect her friend. Her legacy will live on as a powerful example of heroism.”
