Nottingham attacks victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar will be awarded the George Medal after she made the “ultimate sacrifice” to protect her friend.

Ms O’Malley-Kumar tried to defend Barnaby Webber, both 19, as they were fatally stabbed by paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane on 13 June 2023.

She is one of 20 recipients of the civilian gallantry awards, and one of four awarded it posthumously.

At a news conference in London on Monday, Ms O’Malley-Kumar’s mother – Dr Sinead O’Malley – said: “She’s quite an exceptional human being, and Grace will go down in the history books as such.”

She added the award was “telling the country what a brave and wonderful girl she was, how creative she was”.

“We are immensely proud of her, so despite her youth in years, she was incredibly brave,” Dr O’Malley said.

Ms O’Malley-Kumar’s father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, said his daughter “placed friendship over fear”.

“She was 19 and she valiantly fought a 30-year-old armed with a large hunting knife,” he said.

“Grace was an athlete, she could have easily run away, even to seek help, but her instinct was to stand by her friend, to intervene, to fight, to stop a sustained attack on her friend.”

Surrounded by photographs of his daughter, who represented England in youth hockey and played county cricket for Essex, Dr Kumar added: “Grace was a true patriot.

“She asked for nothing from her country, but gave everything. Representing and volunteering for her country was the highest honour.

“Like her, care for your communities. Like her, care for your counties and care for your country, because that is what she did and that is what she would want.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to all the recipients, including Ms O’Malley-Kumar, who he said made the ultimate sacrifice to protect her friend, and her legacy would live on as a “powerful example of heroism”.

Sir Keir said: “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.”

The George Medal is Britain’s ­second-highest civilian bravery award after the George Cross, and is given for “conspicuous gallantry not in the presence of the enemy”.

To be awarded posthumously, a relative must attend Buckingham Palace, where the King or another royal presents the medal in person.

The awards are given out to people in recognition of their courage and bravery in the face of danger.

University of Nottingham students Ms O’Malley-Kumar, from east London, and Mr Webber, from Taunton, Somerset, were walking home to their student accommodation after an end-of-term night out when they were fatally stabbed in Ilkeston Road just after 04:00 BST.

Prosecutor Karim Khalil KC had told a court hearing in January 2024 – when Calocane had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility – Mr Webber had been stabbed “repeatedly” with a dagger, inflicting “grave injuries” and causing him to fall to the floor.

Ms O’Malley-Kumar showed “incredible bravery”, he said, and tried to protect her friend, fighting and pushing Calocane, 32, into the road, but the killer then turned his attention to her and was “as uncompromisingly brutal in his assault”, he added.

Mr Khalil told the court Ms O’Malley-Kumar’s injuries were too severe and she collapsed as Mr Webber tried to defend himself from the ground, kicking out at his attacker, before Calocane “calmly” walked away.

Calocane went on to kill school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, who was driving his Vauxhall van nearby, when he was repeatedly stabbed.

Calocane was sentenced to a hospital order after pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility, and three counts of attempted murder after using Mr Coates’s van to drive into three pedestrians – Wayne Birkett, Marcin Gawronski and Sharon Miller – all of whom were seriously injured.

The citation for Ms O’Malley-Kumar reads: “Grace O’Malley-Kumar was walking home to student accommodation in Nottingham with her friend, Barnaby Webber, when they were approached by a man with a large knife.

“He carried out a sudden attack on Barnaby, leading Grace to intervene in order to restrain the assailant in an attempt to stop the attack.

“This led to the assailant attacking Grace with the knife, who continued to fight the attacker until she fell to the floor having sustained multiple injuries.

“Tragically, Grace and Barnaby both passed away as a result of their injuries from the attack.

“Grace’s exceptional courage in the face of extreme danger serves as an outstanding example of personal bravery.”