The parents of Nottingham stabbing victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar have backed calls for their daughter to be awarded the George Cross after she was knifed to death while she tried to save her friend. 

The 19-year-old student was repeatedly stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane, 32, as she came to the aid of Barnaby Webber. 

The England under-18s hockey player died a hero as she bravely tried to fight off the triple-killer to protect her friend instead of fleeing the scene. 

Grace's 'astonishingly bravery' was recognised during a court hearing in which her father Dr Sanjoy Kumar praised his daughter as a hero who shunned the opportunity to run away. 

MPs and senior police officers have called for Grace to posthumously be given the George Cross  - the highest civilian award for acts of 'the greatest heroism or of the most courage in circumstances of extreme danger'.

The parents of Nottingham stabbing victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar have backed calls for their daughter to be awarded the George Cross

Grace, 19, was knifed to death as she tried to save her friend Barnaby Webber, also 19, who had been attacked by triple-killer Valdo Calocane

Grief-stricken mother Sinead O'Malley told The Sun it 'would be a remarkable acknowledgement of her bravery', while her father says the 'world deserves people like Grace'. 

Mrs O'Malley said: 'Grace is never coming back to us, but we never want her to be forgotten, and this would certainly make sure she is remembered for ever.

'Our hope is it would help her be remembered as the wonderful person that she was, and not just for the horrendous fate she suffered.'

Dr Kumar said the bravery his daughter showed was 'incredible for a young girl'. 

'The accolade would be an example to every other young person,' he said.

Tory MP Marco Longhi said Grace had shown 'selfless bravery' and he backed calls for her to be given the George Cross. 

'This would be a fitting tribute to her and it would be a fitting legacy for her heroism,' he said.

University students Grace and Barney,  were stabbed to death by paranoid schizophrenic Calocane while walking home from a night out in Nottingham just after 4am on June 13 last year.

The George Cross is the highest civilian award for acts of 'the greatest heroism or of the most courage in circumstances of extreme danger'

Grace's grief-stricken parents Dr Sanjoy Kumar and Sinead O'Malley say the award would be a remarkable acknowledgement of her bravery

Calocane was handed a hospital order for manslaughter by diminished responsibility after Nottingham Crown Court heard he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia

Calocane then repeatedly knifed 65-year-old caretaker Ian Coates and leaving him for dead before stealing his van which he used to ram into three other people. They all survived. 

Calocane was handed a hospital order for manslaughter by diminished responsibility after Nottingham Crown Court heard he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. 

It comes after it was revealed last week that police officers posted in a WhatsApp group that the Nottingham attack victims were 'properly butchered' in an appalling remark.

Nottinghamshire Police are sacking staff on the down-low over misconduct linked to the murders of students Barnaby and Grace, The Times reported.

Officers messaged on WhatsApp to describe how both of the innocent 19-year-olds were 'properly butchered' in a work group chat.

Emma Webber, Barnaby's mother, has spoken out because the Chief Constable Kate Maynell - whose son was in the group chat - refused to pass on a letter explaining the effect of the language of 'excited urgency of spreading big news'.