Leicester Mercury

Knifeman on e-scooter to be detained indefinite­ly

- By BEN CARR ben.carr@reachplc.com

A PARANOID schizophre­nic who stabbed five strangers months before Valdo Calocane’s fatal attacks has been detained indefinite­ly.

Junior Dietlin was made subject to an indefinite hospital order at Leicester Crown Court last Friday.

During each attack, the 20-year-old was riding an electric scooter and would stab each of his victims in the upper arm.

Dietlin attacked four of the victims in Mansfield and another in Mapperley, Nottingham, during a four-day rampage in February last year.

Detectives launched an investigat­ion and after scouring CCTV identified Dietlin as he rode his e-scooter through Mansfield on February 13.

After being challenged by an officer, he tried to flee on the scooter but a police dog named Wolf caught up with him and dragged him to the ground by his arm.

A locking style knife was found nearby while a kitchen knife was recovered from a bag at an address where Dietlin had been staying.

Mobile phone data also proved he had been in the area of each attack at around the time they were committed.

The stabbing spree came just months before Valdo Calocane knifed three people to death in Nottingham city centre on June 13.

Calocane, also a paranoid schizophre­nic, killed students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both aged 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65.

Leicesters­hire Police are under investigat­ion over their contact with

Calocane, who allegedly assaulted two colleagues at a warehouse in Kegworth about five weeks before his murderous attacks.

The Leicesters­hire force referred itself to the police watchdog, the Independen­t Office for Police Conduct, over its response to the alleged incident in Kegworth.

Dietlin was found guilty of five counts of malicious wounding and four counts of possessing a bladed article in a public place.

He will only be discharged from the secure hospital with the agreement of the Secretary of State for Justice.

 ?? Out his attacks on an e-scooter ?? DANGER: Junior Dietlin carried
Out his attacks on an e-scooter DANGER: Junior Dietlin carried
 ?? ?? FORCE INQUIRY: Valdo Calocane
FORCE INQUIRY: Valdo Calocane

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