GRACE O’MALLEY-KUMAR, the British-Indian teenager who was stabbed to death while trying to protect her friend during a knife attack in Nottingham in 2023, has been posthumously awarded the George Medal, one of Britain’s highest civilian honours for acts of bravery.
Grace, aged 19, was walking back to her University of Nottingham accommodation with her friend Barnaby Webber, also 19, when they were attacked by knife-wielding Valdo Calocane in June 2023. Both students were killed. Calocane was later sentenced to a mental health order and detained in a high-security hospital.
Tributes had followed the attack, with many calling for recognition of Grace’s courage. A medical student aiming to become a doctor like her parents, Dr Sanjoy Kumar and Dr Sinead O’Malley, Grace was also a keen sportsperson who represented England at under-18 level in hockey and played cricket.
“I want to pay tribute to all of the recipients, including Grace O’Malley-Kumar, who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect her friend. Her legacy will live on as a powerful example of heroism,” prime minister Keir Starmer said in a statement announcing the George Medal, which will be presented to her family.
“Grace O’Malley-Kumar, who has received the George Medal for intervening in an armed attack in Nottingham on 13th June 2023,” reads the official citation.
The George Medal, a silver disc on a ribbon, is Britain’s second-highest civilian bravery award after the George Cross. It is given for “conspicuous gallantry not in the presence of the enemy.”
“The bravery she showed was incredible for a young girl,” her father, Sanjoy Kumar, has previously said.
Her family has since set up the Grace O’Malley-Kumar Foundation to support young people and communities through sport, mental health, and education.
“She was simply walking home after a night out with her friend, Barnaby, after celebrating end-of-year medical school exams, when Barnaby was attacked with a dagger from behind,” reads the foundation’s mission statement.
“Grace tried to fight off the attacker when he turned his attention to her and went about attacking her in the same brutal manner as he did to Barnaby. Grace’s character would never leave a friend, so she did her very best and fought the attacker in a fight she would never win. Grace died a hero,” it states.
Grace O’Malley-Kumar is among 20 people recognised this week for acts of courage, receiving one of three honours – the George Medal, the King’s Gallantry Medal, or the King’s Commendation for Bravery.
“This is what true courage looks like. In moments of unimaginable danger, these extraordinary people acted with selflessness and bravery that speaks to the very best of who we are as a nation. We owe each of them – and their families – our deepest thanks. Their actions remind us of the strength and compassion that run through our communities,” said Starmer.
The 20 awards recognise acts of courage in recent years, from intervening in armed attacks to rescuing people in danger.
(With inputs from agencies)
