According to the trial, a man deliberately shot and killed a Metropolitan Police officer using an antique revolver that he had concealed. The accused individual pulled the trigger with intention, leading to the officer’s death at the custody center.
A 25-year-old man named Louis De Zoysa has denied the accusation of killing 54-year-old Sgt Matiu Ratana by using a gun that was hidden in an underarm holster at a custody centre located in Croydon, south London, in the year 2020.
According to the prosecutors, Louis De Zoysa deliberately shot the firearm four times.
Duncan Penny KC stated that Mr. De Zoysa had harmed himself with the fourth shot.
According to the prosecution, Sgt Ratana, who was referred to as Matthew and was the custody sergeant on duty, lost his life while Mr De Zoysa was restrained with handcuffs in a holding cell.
According to the argument presented, Mr. De Zoysa acquired an antique firearm in a June 2020 auction. It is claimed that owning such a firearm was lawful, and that he had to create his own bullets because the ammunition for it was no longer being produced.
According to jurors, the police officers who apprehended and inspected the defendant earlier in the day did not discover that Mr. De Zoysa was carrying a loaded revolver in a holster.
According to Mr. Penny KC, the prosecution claims that Louis De Zoysa aimed his gun at Sgt. Ratana and intentionally pulled the trigger twice while doing so.
During the trial at Northampton Crown Court, Mr. Penny KC informed the jurors that there is visual evidence of the incident, including CCTV footage and other videos.
According to the prosecutor, it is evident from both the video and audio recordings that Louis De Zoysa was responsible for the death of Matthew Ratana.
During the initial day of the trial on Tuesday, it was revealed in court that Mr. De Zoysa was struck in the neck by a fourth shot, which resulted in him experiencing brain damage.
The jurors were informed that during his trial, an intermediary will be helping him due to his communication difficulties. Additionally, he will be using a whiteboard to aid in his communication.
During his court appearance on Wednesday, Mr. Penny KC stated that he would be speaking using brief sentences and straightforward language. His intention was to ensure that Louis De Zoysa could comprehend him without difficulty.
At the beginning of the trial, the prosecution started by narrating the series of incidents that led to the shooting.
The statement presented to the jury stated that Louis de Zoysa was walking along London Road in Norbury on September 25, 2020.
According to the prosecution, the police stopped him on the street, searched him, and handcuffed him. The jurors were presented with the body-worn camera footage of the officers during the incident.
Upon search, the police discovered that Louis De Zoysa had cannabis and seven rounds of ammunition on him. However, they failed to locate a loaded revolver in a holster that De Zoysa may have been carrying.
According to the court, it was stated that the weapon and its holder were most likely hidden beneath one of the individual’s armpits.
At the age of 23, Mr. De Zoysa was transported to Croydon Police Station and placed in a holding cell while still wearing handcuffs.
According to the jurors, Louis De Zoysa had concealed the gun and was able to aim it at Sgt Ratana while he was on duty.
The individual intentionally fired a gun at Sgt Ratana from a short distance, hitting him in the chest. The shooter did not provide any prior notice or warning before carrying out the act.
During the trial, the jury was presented with footage from a closed-circuit television camera capturing
During the court hearing, it was revealed that the other officers who were present during the incident were unable to prevent Mr. De Zoysa from shooting Sgt. Ratana. The shot inflicted fatal injuries to the sergeant’s left lung and heart, and prosecutors argue that it was an intentional act.
According to what was disclosed in court, three additional gunshots were fired while the other police officers were trying to restrain the suspect, and one of those shots caused harm to Mr. De Zoysa.
The accusation made by the prosecution is that there was a second shot aimed intentionally at Sgt Ratana.
In April, Mr. De Zoysa from Banstead, Surrey, stated that he did not commit murder during a previous court hearing.
The legal proceedings are ongoing.
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Further Information on this News
The accused in the police officer murder trial has suffered brain damage.
A man has refuted accusations of being responsible for the death of Metropolitan Police
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