The gunman who shot dead Met Police sergeant Matt Ratana in a custody suite using an gun has been convicted of murder.
Louis De Zoysa, 25, said his ‘hypermobility’ allowed him to blast the 54-year-old even though his hands were cuffed behind his back.
IOPC has now said two officers ‘could have conducted a more thorough body search’, during which ammunition was found but not the firearm.
However, they concluded that ‘neither their actions nor omissions breached the police standards of professional behaviour’.
New Zealand-born Sgt Ratana was just two months away from retiring when he was killed in the early hours of 25 September 2020. He was the first cop ever killed inside a police station in the UK.
De Zoysa was arrested on the street and police officers found seven bullets on him and two bags of cannabis. But the search failed to detect the gun, which De Zoysa was still hiding in a holster under his armpit when he went into the Windmill Custody Centre in Croydon.
Louis De Zoysa, 25, (pictured) said his ‘hypermobility’ allowed him to blast the 54-year-old even though his hands were cuffed behind his back
Kiwi-born police officer Matt Ratana was shot dead by Louis De Zoysa in September 2020
De Zoysa was arrested on the street and police officers found seven bullets on him and two bags of cannabis. But the search failed to detect the gun, which De Zoysa was still hiding in a holster under his armpit
Louis De Zoysa, 25, said his ‘hypermobility’ allowed him to blast the 54-year-old even though his hands were cuffed behind his back but was today found guilty of murder
De Zoysa was arrested on the street and police officers found seven bullets on him and two bags of cannabis. But the search failed to detect the gun, which De Zoysa was still hiding in a holster under his armpit
De Zoysa claimed he was having an ‘autistic meltdown’ and did not deliberately shoot Sgt Ratana, which the jury disputed.
He had bought the gun at an online antiques auction in June 2020 and made the bullets himself on the farm where he lived.
One bullet hit Sgt Ratana in the chest while the fourth shot hit De Zoysa in the neck and he suffered a stroke which left him with severe brain damage.
During the investigation, there was no indication any police officer or staff member had behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or had committed a criminal offence.
Jurors deliberated for just more than five hours over two days before unanimously convicting De Zoysa, who listened to the verdict sitting in a wheelchair in the secure glass-fronted dock.
He gave some of his evidence by writing and drawing on a court whiteboard and the trial was conducted in simplified language because of his brain injury.
They had been worried De Zoysa would ‘go bananas’ in custody before he killed the officer who had served in the Met since 1991.
De Zoysa denied murder but was convicted by a jury at Northampton Crown Court today.
Mr Justice Johnson will sentence De Zoysa on 27 July.
Defence barrister Imran Khan, KC, said he would request reports on whether De Zoysa should be detained in jail or hospital.
De Zoysa, a former UCL student and cannabis addict, claimed the gun had gone off by accident but laboratory tests showed this was not possible.
Horrifying footage previously showed Sgt Ratana being shot by De Zoysa with a gun he smuggled into custody
Jurors were given the chance to fire the revolver at the ceiling themselves in court to see how difficult it was the pull the trigger.
Analysis of De Zoysa’s devices revealed an interest in weaponry and violence including right wing extremism, Islamic extremism and homophobia.
De Zoysa, who is now wheelchair bound, had been travelling from his flat on a farm in Banstead, Surrey, to his parent’s house in Southwark in the middle of the night when he was stopped by police.
When the cannabis and bullets were found he was taken to the custody centre in the back of a police van.
De Zoysa claimed he was stuttering with fear and ‘hyperventilating’ as he was taken though a tunnel into the custody suite.
He asked police officers if they were going to ‘zap’ him when he was taken into the police station.
In CCTV footage jurors saw Sgt Ratana tell De Zoysa: ‘Your detention’s not been authorised yet, but I can authorise a search of you under section 54 of PACE. Stand up.
As Sgt Ratana adds ‘Mate, you were good enough to…’ De Zoysa then jumps up and brings out the gun from around his right side.
The first shot hit Sgt Ratana in his chest, the second in his leg and the third hit the cell wall as Sgt Ratana’s colleges tried to restrain De Zoysa.
The first three shots were all fired within three seconds.
A fourth shot 16 seconds later hit De Zoysa in the neck before an officer kicked the gun away.
De Zoysa shot the gun with his right hand even though he was left handed.
The killer was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to the left side of his face, from his neck to above his ear.
Sgt Ratana died in hospital.
A court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Louis De Zoysa at Northampton Crown Court previously
Su Bushby paid an emotional tribute to her partner Metropolitan Police officer Matt Ratana who was murdered inside a custody block in Croydon in September 2020.
Speaking in her first press conference outside Northampton Crown Court, she described him as her ‘gentle giant’ and said ‘he will never be forgotten’.
She said: ‘Today is about justice for Matt. His life was taken too soon in the line of duty doing a job that he loved – a cruel end to a lifetime of service and dedication protecting others.’
‘Whilst the court case has concluded, the constant feeling of grief and loss continues.
‘My love for Matt, my gentle giant, will never end. He will never be forgotten.’
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: ‘I first met Su – Matt’s partner – in my second week as Commissioner when I visited Croydon to pay my respects to Matt on the anniversary of his murder. I am inspired by the strength she showed then and even more so by the strength she has shown in recent weeks.
‘I cannot begin to imagine how difficult this ordeal has been for her and for all of Matt’s family and friends. We will continue to offer them every possible support into the future.
‘Matt dedicated almost 30 years to policing and was nearing retirement when he was tragically murdered. He was an outstanding officer who brought joy to his work, treating everyone with respect, compassion and good humour.
‘In the days after his death, tributes flowed in from Matt’s colleagues, from communities he had served and from those who knew him in his life outside policing. They were a testament to the man he was.’
Answering most questions with one word answers De Zoysa promised he would not ‘fib’ to jury as he began his evidence.
Louis De Zoysa, 25, (pictured) was found by a jury to be guilty of murdering the officer
He told them he was ‘sad’ when he found out Sgt Ratana had died.
He said he was not guilty of murder but then said he did not know what guilty meant.
De Zoysa claimed he didn’t tell officers about the gun because he was feeling ‘anxious’.
‘Were you anxious because you had a gun on you?’ Mr Khan, KC, asked.
‘Always anxious. Anxious in the mind. It’s a feeling,’ De Zoysa said.
He said he did not know if he had taken the gun out of the holster in the police van and hidden it under his coat as he entered the police station.
De Zoysa had to take regular breaks during his evidence and often could not complete a whole day in court.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, said: ‘He deliberately shot Sergeant Ratana once to the chest, at very close range.
‘He did not give a warning.
‘The other officers present were not able to stop Louis de Zoysa.
‘The shot caused a fatal injury to the left lung and heart of Sergeant Ratana.
‘Three further shots were fired during the struggle with officers that followed.
‘The prosecution say the second shot was another deliberate shot at Sergeant Ratana.
‘The fourth shot caused severe and life-threatening injury to Louis de Zoysa.’
Sgt Ratana had been planning to propose to Su Bushby, his partner of six years when he died.
De Zoysa, of Banstead, Surrey, denied but was convicted of murder.
The judge in the trial refused a defence request for jurors to visit and inspect the holding cell where he shot dead Sergeant Matt Ratana.
Handheld metal detectors could now be introduced by forces across the country after the shooting of custody sergeant Matt Ratana inside a police station holding cell, a police watchdog said.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said its recommendation to use the search wands in all response vehicles and vehicles used to transport detainees had been accepted and the National Police Chiefs’ Council is looking into the implementation.
Director of operations, Amanda Rowe, said: ‘My thoughts continue to be with the family, friends and colleagues of Matt Ratana and all of those affected by this shocking incident.
‘Although the officers searching De Zoysa did not strictly follow MPS training, which requires that the torso is divided into quarters, and each quarter is searched from the top down, both back and front, we concluded that neither their actions nor omissions breached the police standards of professional behaviour.’