Nottingham stabbing: Grace O'Malley-Kumar’s parents back calls to award her George Cross for bravery

The parents of one of the victims of the horrific Nottingham stabbing have supported MPs’ calls to award her the George Cross for bravery.

Medical student Grace O’Malley-Kumar, 19, died while trying to save her friend Barnaby Webber from Valdo Calocane’s brutal attack in the street last June.

Barnaby was knifed 10 times and, instead of running away, Grace ran to his side and screamed: “Don’t do it” and “Why would you do that?”

Grace, from Woodford Green in east London, “fought and fought” for around 30 seconds before she also collapsed, after being stabbed with Calocane’s double-edged hunting knife 23 times.

Mother Sinead O’Malley told The Sun: “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 forever.”

Similarly, her father Dr Sanjoy Kumar said: “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.”

It comes after Tory MPs including Morecambe and Lunesdale representative David Morris, called for Grace to be bestowed the honour.

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.”

The George Cross is recommended by the Prime Minister to those who exhibit “the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger”.

It has only been awarded 160 times since it was introduced in 1940.

Dr Sanjoy said it was “bittersweet” to be so proud of their daughter’s heroism while also being devastated she did not take her chance to run away.

In January, Nottingham Crown Court heard how, after Calocane had killed Grace and Barnaby, he killed 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates and stole his van to injure three people at a nearby bus stop.

Calocane denied murder but pleaded guilty to three manslaughter charges, on the basis of diminished responsibility. He was detained at a high-security hospital.