Triple killer's mum warned police not to release him

A mother repeatedly tried to warn police not to release her son from custody because he was mentally unwell and could be aggressive and violent - less than two days before he would go on to kill three elderly men during a psychotic episode, inquests have heard.

Alexander Lewis-Ranwell, now 35, had been arrested twice and released from custody before he killed Anthony Payne, 80, and twins Roger and Dick Carter, 84 in Exeter on 10 February 2019.

Jill Lewis-Ranwell said she spoke to officers at Barnstaple police station during the first arrest.

In a statement she said: "I told them he had a history of violence when unwell and that I would have grave concerns if he was released."

The inquests at County Hall heard Lewis-Ranwell was arrested on suspicion of burglary after a series of incidents at a pub and farms in North Devon on the morning of 8 February and taken to Barnstaple police station.

Lewis-Ranwell called his mother that evening and she described him as saying "odd things, like I wasn't really his mother".

She said he became very unpleasant and the call cut off but she was used to this from previous mental health episodes.

The inquests heard heard Lewis-Ranwell had been detained under the Mental Health Act from June to September 2016, and August to November the following year and how records of his first admission detailed a diagnosis of "drug-induced psychosis or paranoid schizophrenia".

Jill Lewis-Ranwell added: "The call got cut off and I rang back. I had a long conversation [with a police officer] about his traits, his symptoms.

"That's when I told the officer that I thought he was having a psychotic episode."

She said she told the officer about her son's aggression when unwell and added he was "vile" when unwell.

"He did things like urinating in places like becoming pretty disgusting really."

Asked why she told officers, she said: "I thought it was the right thing to do to let them know that."

Jill Lewis-Ranwell also described her son's previous mental health crisis in 2017 when he started "displaying bizarre behaviour" and had "frightened" her when they were in a car together.

She said she called the police on him during that period and took him to Barnstaple police station hoping he would be sectioned, only for him to be released.

The inquests heard Lewis-Ranwell was sectioned at around that time but only after being arrested following a police chase on a road in London, which included a helicopter being deployed.

Jill Lewis-Ranwell said she had wanted to make a formal complaint about Barnstaple police station but her son had asked her not to as he wanted to live in the area and did not want any repercussions.

She said she again called the police station at about 22:00 on 8 February because she had not heard anything.

"I said I would be extremely concerned should he be released, not just for the violence and the way he was but for his own safety."

She said she received two more calls at about 02:00 the following morning informing her Lewis-Ranwell was being released and taken to a safe sleep centre.

"I thought it was madness," she said.

She said she was concerned he "wasn't well enough to be released" and "at that moment in time he was my first concern" as he was being released in the middle of the night, in the cold, while unwell.

Her statement detailing those events added: "It was like deja vu from the year before [2017], having been told he was mentally unwell, the police let him go on his way."

Earlier custody officer Smith answered questions about the detention log she filled out as Lewis-Ranwell was booked into custody at Barnstaple police station and jurors were shown CCTV of the process.

Her notes assessed him as having previously been detained twice for psychosis and as having been given medicines "for mental health but not currently medicated".

Smith noted he should be seen by a health care professional and a mental health practitioner. She said in the log he "makes odd comments" but was low risk and required the lowest level of observations - a check once every 30 minutes.

She said he was a "nice guy" and "very cooperative".

Answering questions from Nick Armstrong KC, who is representing the families of the Carter brothers and Payne, she said she was not made aware of the comments made by officers during the incidents that led to his arrest.

The comments included officers saying Lewis-Ranwell "isn't right" and "it's mental health isn't it".

One officer said: "He's going to cause mayhem this bloke."

Smith said she was not made aware of that.

Armstrong questioned whether her "jokey and bantering" rapport-building caused her to miss something.

CCTV of the booking process showed an officer emptying Lewis-Ranwell's bag and commenting that an item in a bag looked like mushrooms.

Armstrong asked: "Did somebody check that wasn't magic mushrooms for someone who had a history of drug-induced psychosis?"

Smith said she did not believe it had been checked and added: "In my opinion he was not under the influence of any type of drug."

Armstrong asked if she had reflected on Lewis-Ranwell's detention in light of him going on to kill three elderly men two days later.

"Did you think the signs were there and maybe we missed it?", he asked.

Smith told the jury she left custody after this and was "shocked", adding: "You can't foresee what a person is going to do to themselves or others."

In a statement, Carren Davies, who was then a mental health practitioner with Devon Partnership Trust's liaison and diversion team, said custody staff wanted her to see Lewis-Ranwell "because they were aware he had a mental health history".

Davies said she offered him an assessemnt and help accessing services such as housing, both of which he declined.

She said there was "nothing that suggested to me that he lacked the capacity to make these decisions" and when asked he "denied he was a current risk to himself or others".

The inquest previosuly heard Payne and the Carters all died of head injuries and Lewis-Ranwell was charged with their murders.

At a trial later in 2019, Lewis-Ranwell was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and was given a direct hospital order.

The inquest continues.

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