‘Alexander Lewis-Ranwell killed three men during a psychotic episode in the delusional belief that they were paedophiles. In the days immediately prior, he was detained twice and seen or spoken to by mental health professionals employed by G4S Health Services Ltd. and Devon Partnership NHS Trust. He was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and ordered to be detained in hospital by the Criminal Court. Lewis-Ranwell sued G4S, the NHS Trust and related others in negligence and under the Human Rights Act 1998 for compensation for various heads of loss said to result from his acts and detention, including loss of earnings, and for an indemnity against possible claims by the victims’ estates and dependants. The defendants’ application for the negligence claim to be struck out on the basis of the illegality defence was rejected at first instance and by a majority of the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court allowed the defendants’ appeal: Lewis-Ranwell v G4S Health Services Ltd. [2026] UKSC 2, [2026] 2 W.L.R. 187 (“Lewis-Ranwell”). Unfortunately, the reasoning which led to this conclusion is not fully persuasive.’
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Cambridge Law Journal, 23rd October 2026
Source: www.cambridge.org