The mothers of murdered students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber on Thursday paid moving tributes to their children in front of thousands at a vigil in Nottingham.
The familes gathered along with civic and faith leaders for the vigil in which they gave speeches.
Barnaby Webber’s mother Emma asked the crowd to “hold no hate” over the killing of her cricket-loving son who was just 19.
She said the “monstrous individual” responsible for the deaths in the city on Tuesday “will not define us”.
“I know he will receive the retribution that he deserves,” she said.
“However, this evil person is just that. He is just a person.
“Please hold no hate that relates to any colour, sex or religion.”
She also said: “We stand here and we feel your love and we are united in grief and shock and disbelief, and one day we will smile again, but it will take time.”
Referencing a written tribute she read at the university, she said: “It was an outpouring of love and support and confusion and anger and grief, and this person said in this letter ‘I don’t know what to do, I have to write this because I have no friends, I have no-one to talk to, but if you want to come and talk to me I will be waiting on the terrace’ and I didn’t read that until this morning, but if you get this message from me then I feel your love and you do have friends, because you have friends in us.”
Grace’s mother told the crowd: “My baby girl was a treasure ... she was just walking home, please say prayers for my beautiful baby...”
Her younger brother said she was like a “best friend” to him, adding: “I urge you all to cherish all the moments with your loved ones because you never know when it will end.”
The sons of caretaker Ian Coates who was also killed appeared on stage at the vigil for the victims in Nottingham city centre wearing Nottingham Forest shirts.
The shirts all had RIP Dad printed on the back and the crowd chanted “you reds” as the three men stood in front of the thousands gathered in the Market Square.
James Coates thanked everybody for the “kind words” that have poured in about his father.
“It feels like he’s touched a lot of hearts over the years, more than what we assumed and knew that he had, so it’s been really nice and heartwarming to see the messages and people come out and talk about how he was when they were younger and how he’s helped them,” he went on.
“Some beautiful comments.
“We just wanted to say a quick thing that we’re still dealing with what’s happened, we still haven’t took it all in, so we just wanted to say a few things.
“Dad was an avid fisherman, he loved his family and he also loved his Forest. You Reds.”
Meanwhile vice chancellor of the University of Nottingham told a vigil she was still “trying to process the information” that the suspect was a former student.
Community and faith leaders came together in the city centre to pay tribute Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Barnaby Webber and Ian Coates who were killed in the ealy hours of Tuesday.
Speaking at the vigil in Nottingham’s Old Market Square Professor Shearer West said: “All three of these lives were cut short in the most unimaginable way on Tuesday morning.
“Their well-earned retirement plans and bright futures brutally curtailed by a seemingly random act of violence.
“At the university, we held our own vigil yesterday with Barney and Grace’s families to remember them and mourn their loss.
“I was overwhelmed by the love and support that was offered to the families by more than 2,000 students and staff who gathered together as a community.
“Although seemingly unconnected to these dreadful acts, we are still in the university trying to process the information that the suspect in custody was a former student.”
Thousands gathered in Nottingham’s Market Square for a vigil in memory of two students and a school caretaker who were killed in a deadly rampage in the city on Tuesday. A minute’s silence was held at 6pm.
Opening proceedings, councillor David Mellon, leader of the city council, addressing the relatives of all the victims: “The attack on you is an attack on us all.”
He urged those present to not allow “fear to grip our streets” after the Nottingham attacks.
He said the deaths “shock us because they are so unusual”.
Headteacher of Huntingdon Academy Ross Middleton, where Nottingham attack victim Ian Coates was site manager, said the 65-year-old was “proud” of his grandson.
Paying tribute to the caretaker, Mr Middleton said he was “full of fun with a mischievous glint in his eye”.
He said: “We will all remember him with great affection.
“Rest in peace Ian, and, of course, I’ll keep an eye on Forest results for you.”
A 31-year old suspect, who had attended the university has been arrest and is being questioned by police on suspicion of murder.
