Murder jury shown CCTV footage of PC Matt Ratana being shot in custody
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A court has been shown the moment Metropolitan Police officer Matiu Ratana was shot in a South London custody holding cell.
The 54-year-old was fatally shot with an antique revolver at Croydon Custody Centre in 2020.
Louis De Zoysa, 25, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sergeant Ratana, who was also known as Matthew.
Prosecutors said: "Louis De Zoysa pulled the trigger on purpose four times.”
Prosecutor Duncan Penny told Northampton Crown Court that the 25-year-old also ‘injured himself with the fourth shot’.
Penny told Northampton Crown Court: “The prosecution say Louis De Zoysa pointed his gun at Sergeant Ratana,” and that he then ‘pulled the trigger on purpose twice when he was pointing the gun at Sergeant Ratana’.
He added: "There is CCTV footage and other video of what happened.”
"The video and the audio shows Louis De Zoysa killing Matthew Ratana," the prosecutor said.
Penny said De Zoysa had bought the antique weapon at an auction and that it was legal to own. He said De Zoysa had made his own bullets as ammunition was no longer being made for the gun.
Police who had searched De Zoysa prior to him being brought to Croydon Custody Centre had not found the gun and believe ‘the gun and holster were probably concealed under one of his armpits’.
De Zoysa’s lawyer has alleged that his client was suffering from an ‘autistic meltdown’ and claims he didn’t mean to kill or seriously injure the officer.
He told the court: "You saw that Louis de Zoysa fired a gun. Louis de Zoysa accepts he fired a gun. Louis de Zoysa accepts that two of the bullets hit Sergeant Ratana.
"Louis de Zoysa says he did not mean to or want to kill Sergeant Ratana or to cause him really serious harm,” he continued.
"The reason Louis de Zoysa says he is not guilty is because at the time he was suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning. The abnormality of mental functioning that Louis De Zoysa was suffering from is an autistic meltdown.
"Louis de Zoysa says it is this that led him to fire the gun that led to Sergeant Ratana's death."
The court previously heard that the fourth shot had hit De Zoysa in the neck leaving him with brain damage.
As a result, he will be using a whiteboard to communicate with the court during the trial.
The trial continues.
