An inquest at County Hall in Exeter heard details about an attack on John Ellis, an elderly farmer in his eighties, by 35-year-old Alexander Lewis-Ranwell on 9 February 2019. The assault occurred just one day before Lewis-Ranwell went on to kill three other elderly men. The attack on Mr Ellis happened at his smallholding near Barnstaple, and it came hours after Lewis-Ranwell had been released from police custody. He had been charged with burglary, but his mother had called the police station to express serious concerns about his worsening mental health. During the attack, Mr Ellis sustained cuts and bruises while trying to protect himself. His wife made an emergency 999 call, warning the police that Lewis-Ranwell was mentally unstable, dangerous, and could potentially kill someone. Despite this, Lewis-Ranwell was arrested again for attacking Mr Ellis but was released the next day. Just hours later, he fatally attacked 80-year-old Anthony Payne with a hammer and 84-year-old twins Roger and Dick Carter with a shovel at their homes in Exeter. The inquest heard from Chief Inspector Zoe Parnell, who was on duty during Lewis-Ranwell’s initial arrest. She said that during her shift, Lewis-Ranwell appeared calm, cooperative, and mentally clear. However, she admitted it was unusual that she did not record her colleague’s note about the warning call from Lewis-Ranwell’s mother in the official police custody log. This omission has raised questions about how the police handled the situation and whether more could have been done to prevent the subsequent attacks.