Alexander Lewis-Ranwell denies murdering three pensioners
Caption: Alexander Lewis-Ranwell is seen in an image from CCTV footage being released from Barnstaple police station

A paranoid schizophrenic was suffering delusions about rescuing a young woman from a gang of paedophiles when he killed three elderly men during a ‘whirlwind of destruction’, a court has heard.

Alexander Lewis-Ranwell, 28, battered Anthony Payne, 80, with a hammer before bludgeoning 84-year-old twins Dick and Roger Carter to death with a shovel.

A psychiatrist told Exeter Crown Court that he believed on the ‘balance of probabilities’ that the former scaffolder was insane at the time he killed the pensioners.

Dr John Sandford, who had been called by the defence to give evidence, told the jury: ‘(Lewis-Ranwell) describes his actions as a ‘whirlwind of destruction’ and said he was sad about what he had done to others and acknowledged he had no right to do what he did.

‘He knew he was entering someone’s property and he knew when he was killing someone that he was going to be causing serious harm, but he didn’t believe these people were completely innocent.

‘He believed he was on some sort of quest. It’s my opinion he was on a quest and that was a morally good thing to do.’

PIC: APEX 18/11/2019 The trial is due to begin today of a man accused of a murdering three men in Exeter. Alexander Lewis Ranwell, 28, is charged with killing Anthony Payne, 80, and 84-year-old twin brothers, Roger and Dick Carter in February. Their bodies were found within 24 hours of each other at two addresses in the city. The defendant, from Croyde in North Devon, is due to stand trial at Exeter Crown Court on Monday. This picture shows Alexander Lewis Ranwell. SEE STORY BY APEX NEWS - 01392 823144 ---------------------------------------------------- APEX NEWS AND PICTURES NEWS DESK: 01392 823144 PICTURE DESK: 01392 823145
Lewis-Ranwell is from Croyde in North Devon (Picture: APEX)
ALL TV OUT Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Alexander Lewis-Ranwell appearing at Exeter Crown Court where he has gone on trial accused of murdering three pensioners, he entered not guilty pleas over the deaths of Anthony Payne, 80, and twins Dick and Roger Carter, 84, on February 10 this year. PA Photo. Picture date: Monday November 18, 2019. The trial was adjourned until Wednesday and Lewis-Ranwell was remanded in custody. See PA story COURTS Exeter . Photo credit should read: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire
A court artist sketch Ranwell-Lewis (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA)

The killings took place at two houses just a mile-and-a-half away from each other in Exeter, and only three hours apart, on February 10 this year.

Just hours before Lewis-Ranwell attacked Mr Payne in an upstairs bedroom of his terrace home, he had been released from police custody, having been arrested for attacking a farmer with a saw.

This was his second arrest in the space of 24 hours and occurred just seven hours after he had been arrested for attempted burglary at another farm.

Lewis-Ranwell was arrested for a third time a day later following an incident at a hotel in Exeter and transferred to a psychiatric unit after concerns were raised for his mental health.

Detectives then linked him to the three killings and he was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Dr Sandford said the defendant was a paranoid schizophrenic and was suffering from acute psychotic delusions and hallucinations – meaning his ability to exercise self-control was diminished.

Anthony Payne, known as Tony. See SWNS story SWPLmurders. Polo-playing former public schoolboy Alexander Lewis-Ranwell is set to appear in court charged with murder of three OAPs. The murder investigation was initially launched after paramedics found the body of a man, aged 80, inside a property on Bonhay Road near St David's railway station on Monday afternoon. And later the bodies of two other men, named locally as twins Dick and Roger, both 84, were found inside a large house on Cowick Lane.
Tony Payne was found in a property on Bonhay Road before twins Dick and Roger Carter were found inside a large house on Cowick Lane (Picture: SWNS)
Alexander Lewis-Ranwell is seen in an image from CCTV footage being released from Barnstaple police station the morning before he went on to kill three people. See SWNS story SWPLmurder. Police identified a former public schoolboy as a 'serious risk to the public' but still released him just hours before he murdered three male pensioners, a court heard. Alexander Lewis-Ranwell, 28, was freed from custody on the morning of the murders after a doctor's recommendation he be seen by a mental health nurse was ignored. The court heard he was under the delusion he was uncovering a paedophile ring when he killed Anthony Payne, 80, and 84-year-old twin brothers, Roger and Dick Carter. Lewis-Ranwell has admitted the killings in February, but pleaded not guilty to murder on the basis of insanity.
CCTV footage from Barnstaple police station the morning before Ranwell-Lewis went on to kill three people (Picture: SWNS)

The court heard that Lewis-Ranwell believed a gang of paedophiles had taken a girl 25 years ago and she was being kept in a basement in Exeter being abused.

Dr Sandford continued: ‘He sees a picture of a woman in a magazine and he begins to think this woman has been missing and he becomes pre-occupied that he has to find this person.

‘He has the idea that she is in Exeter, being held by paedophiles in a basement.’

Dr Sandford added: ‘He believed he was liberating and preventing future crime.

‘I think in all likelihood that he was so pre-occupied with liberating this woman that any consideration of illegality or morality was put to one side.’

Dr Sandford said Lewis-Ranwell saw a number of knives, scissors and hammers at Mr Payne house in Bonhay Road and believed this was linked to the missing girl.

Police are investigating at an address in Cowick Lane in Exeter, Devon, where the bodies of two men, were found on tuesday (12/2). February 13, 2019. See SWNS story SWPLmurders. Polo-playing former public schoolboy Alexander Lewis-Ranwell is set to appear in court charged with murder of three OAPs. The murder investigation was initially launched after paramedics found the body of a man, aged 80, inside a property on Bonhay Road near St David's railway station on Monday afternoon. And later the bodies of two other men, named locally as twins Dick and Roger, both 84, were found inside a large house on Cowick Lane.
Cowick Lane in Exeter, where the bodies of the twins were found in February (Picture: SWNS)
Police are investigating at an address in Cowick Lane in Exeter, Devon, falling the death of two men. 14/02/2019 See SWNS story SWPLmurders. Polo-playing former public schoolboy Alexander Lewis-Ranwell is set to appear in court charged with murder of three OAPs. The murder investigation was initially launched after paramedics found the body of a man, aged 80, inside a property on Bonhay Road near St David's railway station on Monday afternoon. And later the bodies of two other men, named locally as twins Dick and Roger, both 84, were found inside a large house on Cowick Lane.
Tributes were left at the home (Picture: SWNS)

He continued: ‘(Lewis-Ranwell) took that as evidence these were implements being used to torture the girl and that a patch on the floor indicated a dog had been killed there.

Dr Sandford said the defendant ‘acknowledged that he killed him.’

After killing Mr Payne, Lewis-Ranwell told Dr Sandford he looked around the house for evidence of the missing girl, the court heard.

Less than three hours later, Lewis-Ranwell attacked and killed the Carter brothers with a shovel – believing they were paedophiles, the jury was told.

Dr Sandford said the defendant told him he thought there was an underground tunnel linked to the Carters’ cellar – where the girl would be found – and he went into the house to find it.

Lewis-Ranwell, from Croyde, north Devon, denies three charges of murder by reason of insanity.

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