Seven years after a paranoid schizophrenic killed elderly twins Dick and Roger Carter, both 84, their family faces renewed devastation as the inquest into their deaths faces a last-minute postponement.
Family’s Growing Frustration
Relatives hoped the inquest would expose multiple failures that allowed Alexander Lewis-Ranwell to remain free despite clear warning signs. Devon and Cornwall Police, who released him twice within 24 hours, secured a six-month delay after indicating they might recover key CCTV footage long presumed lost.
Amanda Taylor, the twins’ niece, expressed deep disappointment: “I feel like it gives everyone involved the freedom to say ‘well, it’s such a long time ago now’, or use it as an excuse not to remember details. It is really horrible. You wait for it [the inquest], you set aside your time, you’re prepared –– and then everybody has the rug pulled out from under their feet.”
Her brother, Richard Carter, 61, added: “It had felt like an opportunity to us — we’re seven years in, perhaps we’ll get some answers. And then, at what must be a huge cost to the taxpayer, we get to the point of the inquest and we find that the police haven’t provided the evidence required to support the coroner’s investigation. Nobody has been held to account for it. How on earth is it allowed to happen?”
Timeline of the Fatal Attacks
In December 2019, Lewis-Ranwell, then 28 and a former public schoolboy, fatally attacked three elderly men in Exeter. He first killed Anthony Payne, 80, with a hammer in his flat, then broke into the twins’ lifelong home and killed them with a spade.
Public reports noted his increasing violence before the attacks. Police arrested him twice—once for burglary and once for assaulting an elderly man with a 4ft logging saw. His mother voiced grave concerns about his release, and an officer assessed him as a serious risk. While in custody, he urinated in his cell and mourned losing his ‘unicorn.’
A G4S Health Services doctor examined him for 19 minutes and cleared him, finding no signs of delusion, psychosis, or suicidal ideation. No full mental health assessment followed, and he was released in an acute psychotic state hours before the killings.
Lewis-Ranwell was found not guilty by reason of insanity and remains detained in a hospital. His recent Supreme Court bid for compensation over his wrongful release was rejected in January.
Parallels to Other Cases
Richard Carter highlighted similarities to the June 2023 triple stabbing by Valdo Calocane in Nottingham, under public inquiry. In both, authorities recognized risks but failed to conduct proper assessments, provide mental health intervention, or detain despite dangers.
“Opportunities were there to avoid this,” Carter stated. “You can see parallels with other cases where there are the same opportunities to intervene or to take a different path. And it just has not happened.”
Police Response and Legal Critique
The family long believed lost CCTV from his second detention would prove his unwell state, but police now pursue recovery efforts. An independent review already delayed the inquest for years, which relatives criticize as insufficient.
Bharine Kalsi of Deighton Pierce Glynn, representing bereaved families, condemned the handling: “The conduct of Devon and Cornwall Police has been shambolic. Inquests are designed to help the victims understand the circumstances behind the loss of their loved ones. They are supposed to reduce the hurt, not make it worse. That is what has happened here.”
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokeswoman stated: “We remain in contact with the coroner’s office regarding a section of CCTV footage, which is yet to be located as part of the disclosure process of this inquest. Devon & Cornwall Police has apologised to the coroner for this, and we are keeping him updated on our ongoing efforts to locate the footage in question.”
