Inquest Jury Finds Series of Failures Led to Triple Pensioner Murder

An inquest jury has determined that a series of failures by police and healthcare professionals enabled a mentally ill man to be released from custody shortly before he killed three pensioners. Alexander Lewis-Ranwell, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, bludgeoned Anthony Payne, 80, with a hammer and killed identical twins Dick and Roger Carter, 84, with a saw in February 2019.

Days before the fatal attacks, Lewis-Ranwell, then 35, had been arrested for targeting an elderly farmer with a saw. This arrest followed an earlier custody detention for an attempted burglary at another farm. Following the non-fatal saw attack, Lewis-Ranwell was seen by Dr. Mihail Pichiu, a force medical examiner employed by G4S. Dr. Pichiu did not recommend a Mental Health Act assessment but requested Lewis-Ranwell be seen by a mental health nurse the following morning; this appointment never occurred.

Lewis-Ranwell then traveled from Barnstaple to Exeter, where the murders took place. The inquest jury criticized police and healthcare professionals employed by Devon County Council, Devon Partnership Trust, and contractor G4S for permitting his release. The jury concluded that these shortcomings "probably made a more than minimal contribution to the three deaths."

The families of Dick and Roger Carter attributed the twins' deaths to "systemic failures and missed opportunities." Their niece, Amanda Taylor, stated that the inquests exposed these issues, leading to their uncles' deaths. She expressed hope that the findings would prompt meaningful change and called for a national review of guidance and training on mental health in police custody, emphasizing the need to scrutinize private contractors like G4S.

Mr. Payne's family echoed these sentiments, urging agencies to implement changes to prevent similar tragedies. Following Lewis-Ranwell's second release, his mother reportedly spoke with an officer who described her son as "crazy."

The following morning, Lewis-Ranwell was arrested for a third time for affray and possessing an offensive weapon after an incident at a hotel in Exeter. A subsequent Mental Health Act assessment concluded he was acutely psychotic. He told psychiatrists he had experienced delusions about paedophiles and kidnappers prior to the killings.

Detectives linked Lewis-Ranwell to the deaths of the three pensioners, and he was charged with murder. However, a jury later found him not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, and he was detained indefinitely in a psychiatric unit. The inquest heard that Lewis-Ranwell had a history of cannabis use and "drug-induced psychosis or paranoid schizophrenia."

Lawyer Bharine Kalsi, representing the Payne and Carter families, described the failures as "breathtaking" and highlighted broader issues regarding police systems' capacity to identify failures in other sectors and officers' mental health awareness. He noted that police repeatedly missed signs apparent to the public, suggesting a "wholesale desensitisation."

A G4S spokeswoman offered condolences to the families affected by the tragic events.