Man who killed pensioners he believed were paedophiles cleared of murder
A former public schoolboy has been found not guilty of murdering three pensioners by reason of insanity.
Alexander Lewis-Ranwell, 28, was on trial accused of the killing of Anthony Payne, 80, and 84-year-old twin brothers, Roger and Dick Carter in February.
The court heard he admitted the killings but his defence for murder was that he was insane and falsely believed the men were paedophiles.
The former scaffolder was gripped by paranoid schizophrenia and was suffering from delusions about saving young girls from a paedophile ring, Exeter Crown Court heard.
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 after being 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.
The court heard that when Lewis-Ranwell arrived at Mr Payne's house he believed the pensioner was keeping a woman prisoner in his cellar and there were links to Fred and Rose West, Operation Yewtree and Dr Harold Shipman.
Prosecuting, Richard Smith QC, told Exeter Crown Court that at about 12.30pm on February 10 Lewis Ranwell was wandering around Exeter, and came across the run down property.
He told the court: "The defendant stopped at Mr Payne's house and read a note on the door which spoke about the occupant being an elderly man of 80 years of age.
"The defendant went in through the front door and found or followed Mr Payne upstairs to the bedroom.
"The defendant took up a hammer and bludgeoned Mr Payne to death with blows to the head."
About two and thee quarter hours later Lewis-Ranwell was seen on the footage released by the CPS walking down Cowick Lane.
One of the elderly brothers who lived there tried to usher the defendant away from the house but Lewis-Ranwell is also seen going around the back of the house to find a spade, says Mr Smith.
He climbed over a wall and "once inside beat both brothers to death with blows to the head with the spade," Mr Smith said.
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