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Inquest: Police Failures Linked to Triple Murder?
22 Oct
Summary
- Inquest probes police and healthcare handling of killer before attacks.
- Alexander Lewis-Ranwell killed three elderly men after two releases.
- Concerns about Lewis-Ranwell's mental state were repeatedly raised.
A jury is considering whether police and healthcare failures possibly or probably contributed to the deaths of three elderly men. Alexander Lewis-Ranwell, 35, murdered Anthony Payne, 80, and twins Roger and Dick Carter, 84, in Exeter on February 10, 2019. He had been arrested and released twice in the preceding days.
Inquests heard that concerns about Lewis-Ranwell's mental health, including a history of violence when unwell and a suspected psychotic episode, were repeatedly communicated to officers and medical staff. Despite these warnings, a forensic medical examiner concluded Lewis-Ranwell did not require a Mental Health Act assessment. Expert evidence suggested that if he had been assessed under the Mental Health Act, he likely would have been detained.
Lewis-Ranwell was previously detained under the Mental Health Act in 2016 and 2017 for issues including drug-induced psychosis and believing he was Jesus. The jury is evaluating how information was shared, the assessments conducted by medical staff, and decisions made regarding a Mental Health Act assessment. Lewis-Ranwell was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and received a hospital order in late 2019.
