Detectives granted 36 more hours to question Nottingham suspect as force refers itself to watchdog

Detectives investigating the fatal attacks in Nottingham which left three people dead have been given a further 36 hours to question a 31-year-old suspect.

Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, both 19, were stabbed to death as they walked home from a night out in Nottingham just after 4am on Tuesday.

A third victim, primary school caretaker Ian Coates, was found dead shortly afterwards in Magdala Road. Nottinghamshire Police say his van was then stolen and used to run over three people, one of whom remains in a serious condition in hospital.

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link

A 31-year-old man, now revealed to be a former Nottingham University student, was arrested at around 5.30am and he remains in police custody. The force has today confirmed that the Magistrates' Court has granted them a further 36 hours to question the man before deciding whether to charge him or release him.

Nottinghamshire Police also said it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to the fact a marked police vehicle had followed the van for a short time before it was used to run over three people.

In a statement today, the force said: "A team of dedicated detectives is continuing to question the suspect and building up a strong picture of what happened that morning. This has included CCTV gathering, forensics, eye-witness accounts and searching a number of properties in the city."

Outlining detectives' understanding of the events, the force said: "We believe the suspect carried out the knife attacks on two University of Nottingham students, aged 19, just after 4am on Tuesday 13 June. Following the first attack in Ilkeston Road, the attacker then made his way by foot to