Court ends triple killer's bid to sue authorities

A man who killed three elderly men cannot sue the authorities over claims he was wrongly released before the attacks, the Supreme Court has ruled.

Alexander Lewis-Ranwell was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2019 after the murders of Anthony Payne, 80, and twins Dick and Roger Carter, both 84.

The killings in Exeter, Devon, happened hours after Lewis-Ranwell had been freed from custody following an attack on an elderly farmer with a saw.

In 2020, Lewis-Ranwell, now 34, launched legal action against authorities including the police and Devon County Council however five Supreme Court justices have unanimously ruled he was barred from suing for damages.

He claimed Devon and Cornwall Police, G4S Health Services, Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Devon County Council failed to give him proper care and should not have released him into the community.

Lewis-Ranwell was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his mid-20s. Judges heard while in custody in February 2019 he behaved violently and appeared seriously unwell. He was seen by G4S and NHS staff, but a face-to-face mental health assessment was discussed and never carried out.

The NHS trust, G4S and the council argued the claim should be blocked and he should not receive damages linked to the killings.

Lower courts had allowed the case to continue, but the five Supreme Court justices said barring the claim was not an unfair response, even though Lewis-Ranwell was not criminally responsible for his actions.

In the judgment, the court said: "Killing another human being without lawful justification breaches a fundamental moral rule in our society, you shall not kill.

"This is so even when the person who has killed bears no criminal responsibility for his actions."

The court rejected the argument his lack of moral culpability should allow the case to proceed.

Lewis-Ranwell was detained at the high-security Broadmoor Hospital after his trial in 2019.

The justices added: "His lawful detention, which the court has authorised by the hospital order and restriction order, is the consequence of those actions."

Inquests into the deaths of Anthony Payne, Dick Carter and Roger Carter have yet to take place after being postponed earlier this month.

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