Sgt Matiu Ratana was the on-duty custody sergeant
By Daniel Sandford in court & Yasmin Rufo
BBC News
A jury has been shown the moment when a Met Police sergeant was shot with an antique revolver in a custody holding cell in south London.
Louis De Zoysa, 25, denies killing Matiu Ratana, 54, with a gun concealed in an underarm holster at Croydon Custody Centre in 2020.
“Louis De Zoysa pulled the trigger on purpose four times,” prosecutors said.
Duncan Penny KC added Mr De Zoysa “injured himself with the fourth shot”.
The prosecution alleges Sgt Ratana, who was also known as Matthew and was the on-duty custody sergeant, was killed while Mr De Zoysa was handcuffed in a holding cell.
Louis De Zoysa arriving at court at the start of his trial on Tuesday in a wheelchair
Mr Penny told the jury the defendant bought the antique gun at an auction in June 2020, that it was legal to own, and he had made his own bullets because ammunition for it was no longer manufactured.
Officers who arrested and searched the Mr De Zoysa earlier in the day “did not find” he was carrying a loaded revolver in a holster, the court heard.
Mr Penny KC told Northampton Crown Court: “The prosecution say Louis De Zoysa pointed his gun at Sgt Ratana”, and that he “pulled the trigger on purpose twice when he was pointing the gun at Sgt Ratana”.
“There is CCTV footage and other video of what happened,” he added.
Image source, Helen Tipper
Mr De Zoysa bought the antique revolver in an online auction in June 2020, the court heard
“The video and the audio shows Louis De Zoysa killing Matthew Ratana,” the prosecutor said.
On the opening day of the case on Tuesday, the court heard the fourth shot hit Mr De Zoysa in the neck, causing him to suffer brain damage.
As a result, he will be assisted by an intermediary during his trial and uses a whiteboard because of communication difficulties, the jurors were told.
“I am going to be talking in short sentences and simple words,” Mr Penny KC told the court on Wednesday. “This is so that Louis De Zoysa can understand what I am saying.”
The prosecution opened their case by recounting the events that led up to the shooting.
It told the jury that: “On Friday 25 September 2020, Louis de Zoysa was walking along London Road, in Norbury.”
He was stopped by the police and searched by officers on the street and handcuffed, the prosecution told jurors, who were also shown the officers’ body-worn camera footage.
“The police officers found that Louis De Zoysa was carrying cannabis and seven rounds of ammunition but the police officers did not find that Louis De Zoysa was carrying a loaded revolver in a holster.
Image source, Met Police
Sgt Matiu Ratana suffered a fatal injury to his heart and lung
“The gun and holster were probably concealed under one of his armpits,” the court was told
Mr De Zoysa, who was 23 at the time, was then taken to Croydon Police Station and put in a holding room, still handcuffed.
Jurors were told: “Louis De Zoysa kept the gun hidden and was able to point the gun at Sgt Ratana,” who was on duty.
“He deliberately shot Sgt Ratana, once to the chest, at very close range. He did not give a warning.”
The court heard the other officers present were not able to stop Mr De Zoysa, and the shot caused a fatal injury to Sgt Ratana’s left lung and heart. The prosecution says this was “deliberate”.
Three further shots, including the one that injured Mr De Zoysa, were fired during a struggle with the other officers, the court was told.
The prosecution alleges: “The second shot was another deliberate shot at Sgt Ratana.” That hit the officer in the leg.
The third shot hit the cell.
The prosecution said Mr De Zoysa “must have been able to get hold of the gun after he was arrested and before he left the police van”.
Autistic meltdown
Defence barrister Imran Khan KC told jurors: “Louis De Zoysa says he did not mean to or want to kill Sergeant Ratana, or to cause him really serious harm.
“Louis De Zoysa says that he is not guilty of murder.
“The reason Louis De Zoysa says he is not guilty of murder is because at the time he was suffering from an abnormality of mental function.
“The abnormality of mental function that Louis De Zoysa was suffering was an autistic meltdown.”
Mr De Zoysa, of Banstead, Surrey, has pleaded not guilty to murder.
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