Nottingham attack: Family of Barnaby Webber honour their ‘lovely soul’ at cricket club vigil

The parents of Barnaby Webber have honoured their ‘lovely soul’ at a vigil near his home in Somerset. The 19-year-old Nottingham University student died on Tuesday after he was attacked as he walked home from a night out in the city.

Grace O’Malley-Kumar, 19, and Ian Coates,65 were also killed during the attack.

According to the BBC, a vigil was held at Bishops Hull Cricket Club on Sunday (June 18), a venue which his parent’s called Mr Webber’s "true home". Support from "his tribe" at the vigil was a source of strength, his parents said.

Mr Webber’s mother Emma Webber explained: "It’s overwhelming the outpouring of love and support. "This is his true home, his people.

"Today we wanted to come and see what this wonderful club has done for him. It’s been healing."

The teenager from Taunton was a keen cricketer and regularly attended matches at the cricket club. Sunday’s vigil was held as prayers were said at faith services across Nottingham for the victims.

Ahead of the first Ashes test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Friday (June 16), the England and Australia men’s cricket team paid tribute to the victims. Describing last week’s tributes as "wonderful", Mrs Webber said at the cricket club vigil on Sunday it was "hugely important" to remember all three of the victims.

"We are in touch with Grace’s family a lot and I hope we’ll be able to with Ian’s family as well because we are intrinsically linked now," she explained.

The victim’s father David Webber added the support across the UK had been "amazing".

"It gives us strength and I’m sure it gives Grace and Ian’s family strength," he said.

"We always knew [Barnaby] was special, we always knew he was a beautiful human being and a lovely soul.

"People were coming up to me and saying ‘I don’t know you Mr Webber, but your son was lovely, so much fun, he really helped me’. I found he was like a glue to all these different groups of friends," he added.

The Webber family said the Somerset vigil was a "reflection and celebration of a wonderful young man so cruelly taken away at the very prime of his life". Mrs Webber added her son’s body was "coming home" on Monday.

"That will be the next really big step for us, to know he’s here. We’re still a family of four, it’s just that one of us is not here right now,” she said.

Valdo Calocane, of no fixed address, has been charged with three counts of murder over the killings. The 31-year-old appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Saturday (June 17) and spoke only to confirm his name, giving an alias of Adam Mendes.

He was remanded in custody and is due to face a hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on June 20.