The former forklift truck driver, who was on his way to work when he was attacked, revealed that his injuries had stolen many of his childhood memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember much from when I was a kid \u2026 I don\u2019t remember anything,\u201d Birkett told The Times.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust my family telling me stories, which brings things back.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Barnaby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\/19b1cfe9-f90a-4abd-8c86-6706d74cf18e.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Her friend Barnaby Webber, also 19, was walking home with her after a night out when they were attacked<\/p>\n
PA<\/p>\n
He had to learn to read and write again, and still struggles to recall the names of some colours and everyday objects. <\/p>\n
In the early days after the attack, Birkett\u2019s rehabilitation team in hospital did not tell him how his injuries had occurred. <\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know why I was there,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt like I was in a prison because no one would tell me, the police or the doctors \u2014 I don\u2019t know, I just felt like I was in a prison\u2026 <\/p>\n
\u201cNot knowing why you were in this place, why you were in a wheelchair, why you had your head smashed in.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\/3bc2d573-c027-439b-af59-0df3fc876331.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Ian Coates, 65, was weeks away from retirement when he was killed<\/p>\n
PA<\/p>\n
Birkett and Miller, who was also seriously injured<\/a> by Calocane, have written to Streeting to urge the government to improve Nottingham\u2019s mental health services. <\/p>\n When asked what his message was to the health secretary, Birkett said he should \u201cget a grip\u201d. <\/p>\n \u2022 Mental health services in Nottingham were \u2018not always humane\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published 39 reports in the past 15 months into the quality of care and leadership at the NHS trust under which Calocane was treated. <\/p>\n The most recent report revealed that some recommendations had still not been acted on, two years after they were made. <\/p>\n Both Birkett and Miller had not known about the most recent CQC report until they were approached by the media, and were not informed of the report by the CQC. <\/p>\n They are both core participants in the upcoming public inquiry, which is due to begin on February 23.<\/p>\n Birkett and his lawyer, Greg Almond of Rothera Bray solicitors, said that the lack of contact with the CQC was \u201csymptomatic\u201d of how the three survivors had been treated by other government agencies.<\/p>\n \u201cThey survived the attacks \u2014 they are different to the bereaved families \u2026 The organisations, the CQC are just one of those that have overlooked the survivors,\u201d Almond added. <\/p>\n \u2022 Loophole letting killers claim benefits to be closed<\/a><\/p>\n Calocane, who had schizophrenia diagnosed before the attacks, was sentenced to a hospital order in January 2024 after admitting three counts of manslaughter<\/a> on the grounds of diminished responsibility and three counts of attempted murder.<\/p>\n More than two years after the attack, Birkett is still suffering from memory loss.<\/p>\n \u201cThe worst thing is memory, where people you\u2019ve known for years come up to you, try to talk to you and you\u2019re like \u2026 I\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to be polite, but things like that.\u201d <\/p>\n Birkett also struggles with some recall, and some everyday tasks. \u201cIf [my partner] says, can you pass me a cup of coffee, I\u2019ll go and bring her something like a plant pot,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve learnt to live with it, cope with it \u2014 with headaches, with what\u2019s wrong with my body. I think I\u2019m doing a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n