Perth inmate launched razor attack on wife killer John Lizanec

The Courier

30-04-2025

A serial housebreaker has admitted a Perth Prison razor attack on wife killer John Lizanec.
Alan Brown targeted the twisted husband-from-hell while he was on remand, awaiting trial for the brutal murder of his estranged wife Michelle.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how Lizanec, who was jailed for life and ordered to spend at least 24 years behind bars, was booted on the back as he ran from his attacker on a stairwell in the city jail's B-Hall.
Career criminal Brown, who infamously has a Satanic '666' tattoo on the back of his neck, now faces further jail time for the 2021 assault.
The 43-year-old appeared in the dock and pled guilty to a catalogue of offences, including a raid on a Perth charity hub and a one-man siege in which he claimed to have electrified his cell.
Prosecutor Emma Farmer said Lizanec walked out of his cell at around 9.30am on September 17 2021.
He made his way up a stairwell and saw Brown – also a remand prisoner at the time – standing at the top.
'They had no cause to speak to each other,' the prosecutor said.
'As the complainer went to go back down, he felt a sharp pain to the right side of his head followed by a thud to his back.
'He turned around and observed Mr Brown in possession of a razor. This caused him to run downstairs.
'Whilst running away, he was kicked in the back by Mr Brown.'
Lizanec raised the alarm by shouting 'knife' at nearby prison staff.
'Mr Brown was challenged by officers and he provided them with an item which contained a scissors handle with two pieces of metal sticking out,' Ms Farmer added.
Lizanec escaped with a 'superficial' cut to his cheek and neck, which was treated with paper stitches.
The court also heard of a disturbance at Brown's cell on the morning of January 7 2024.
Brown – who shared his room with inmate John Ramsay – had made his own hooch and had been up all night drinking.
At about 8.30am, guards were carrying out a routine check when they noticed a strong smell of alcohol from Brown's cell.
When an officer unlocked the door, Brown ran at him with an improvised weapon – a screw mounted to a handle – and shouted: 'Get the f*** out of this cell'.
Staff retreated but noticed wires coming from underneath the door.
Brown told them he had wired the door and said: 'I'd move away if I were you.'
After confirming it was not electrified, seven officers in full protective gear got ready to enter.
Brown threw green liquid, believed to be cleaning liquid, at the door to make it slippery.
He was seen holding a blade.
'If you guys come in here, it's game over,' he said.
'You're getting done. In fact, he's getting down,' he added and moved towards Mr Ramsay and placed the blade at his throat.
The seven officers burst through the door and disarmed Brown and took him to the ground.
Mr Ramsay, described as 'too scared to move from his bed,' was uninjured.
Brown, who has a long record for crimes of dishonesty, was released from prison in March 2024.
On the evening of May 27 that year, he raided two neighbouring properties in Perth's St Leonard's Bank.
He first went to a building used by charity Subud Britain.
At around 9.30pm, a woman staying in an upstairs room heard doors opening and closing downstairs.
When she went to investigate, she found Brown on the stairwell.
'He appeared to be under the influence of something,' said Ms Farmer.
He mumbled about attending a meeting but left when the woman pointed out broken glass from a smashed window in the hallway.
Brown also went next door to an office used for NHS child and adolescent mental health services.
A senior nurse noticed the break-in when she arrived for work the next day.
Windows smashed on the ground floor and a cash box containing £50 was missing.
An envelope with £23, a gift for a colleague, had also been taken.
In both incidents, Brown was identified by blood spatter he left at the crime scenes.
The same evening, he snatched a handbag from a house in Glengarry Road and a picture snapped by a witness was posted on Facebook.
Sheriff William Wood told Brown prison was inevitable but deferred sentence for a supervised release order assessment.
The sheriff said: 'You have a bad record and have been round the houses, so to speak, more than once.
'But something has to be available to you upon your release to help you break this cycle.
'Or maybe you like being in prison?'
Brown replied: 'Not really, no.'
The court heard he had been remanded since June last year.