Ian Coates

[WalkingThroughTreacle]

In case you're unsure of who he is, he was the third victim in the Nottingham attacks that shocked the nation last year. Every article I've seen has paragraph after paragraph about how big a loss the killings of Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber were, how bright a future they had ahead of them and much of a loss to society their deaths represent. Ian Coates gets mentioned almost like a begrudged afterthought. MY AIBU - was his life any less precious or his murder any less tragic because he was just a lowly 65 year-old school caretaker and not a young, upper-middleclass student at a prestigious university?

May they all rest equally in peace.

Said the same to dh earlier.
it was the same with the shoreham plane crash.

He was mentioned by name on TWAO R4 today.

It has always been this way 😐

This issue was raised at the time but it seems the same this time that it’s down the the families making different (but equally valid) choices. His family didn’t seem to wish to be in the public eye and that is just as ok as the family who have chosen to speak publicly

Couldn't agree more.

I know what you mean, but I am also guilty of finding it more tragic when young people die than older people. Not because their life is worth less, but because they've lost proportionally less I suppose?!

I agree

See also (and I mean this generally, not just for this case) "she was so beautiful", as if that makes death more tragic than if they were quite ordinary looking

I'm from Nottingham, and don't live far from where he was killed. I think the families of the two students have said more to the press etc. I don't think his death is being shown as any less important.

He was featured on East Midlands Today.

Pretty much this. The families of the two young people have been much more vocal and active in the press and on social media etc. So you see photos of vigils, interviews with friends etc in the media.

Ian Coates' family haven't taken the same approach.

He was featured on ITV news, not all families wish to appear on TV and that's their choice x

I have just been watching east midlands news and thought the news report gave them all equal time. It showed Ian's fishing group and his son's speaking. I have not been so moved for a long time for all three of them. I have two kids at Uni the same age as the two students and it really hit home. They all seemed lovely, it is just such a tragedy. There was also a report a few months ago on our local news filmed at Ian Coates' school where all the children had done something to remember him by. It really is tragic. I hope the attacker is locked away for a very long time in a secure unit the same as the mentally ill person who attacked my work colleague last year and beat her to a pulp as she walked to work, as well as attacking numerous other people. More needs to be done to keep the public safe.

OK, fair point possibly. That was an aspect I hadn't considered.

Value to family and friends is different to 'value' in column inches, sadly.

I live in Barnaby's home town, our local news mentioned all 3 victims and when they interviewed Grace's father on the main news he paid tribute to all 3 equally.

Tragic all round but agree that middle class/well to do families and their children tend to garner much more coverage than working class poorer families. Thats the press for you. What I find odd is the way the families are attacking the police and NHS and blaming them and now insisting that the killer should have been tried for murder rather than manslaughter. What good is that going to do? Either way he will be locked up for life either in prison or more likely a mental institution. It sadly won’t change the outcome for them.

I read a longish report in the Times today and all the victims seemed to be given roughly equal weight. Ian Coates' son spoke in court before the sentencing expressing how the three families would always be there for each other no matter what the outcome.

I don’t think that’s true actually. His son made an amazing speech yesterday and that’s been all over the mainstream news, every bit as much as the others.

Well said OP. His life was just as precious.

No
It's probably one of two things. The younger victims families have put out more in the way of statements or they have more of a digital footprint for the media the scavenge.

Yes, I thought the same about the article in The Times.