A loner addicted to cannabis was convicted of murder yesterday after smuggling a revolver nearly a foot long into a police station.
Now it can be revealed that no police officer will face disciplinary action over the botched search of Louis De Zoysa before he shot dead Sergeant Matt Ratana in just 16 seconds, firing four times in a custody cell despite being handcuffed.
Following De Zoysa’s conviction, New Zealand-born Sgt Ratana’s brother James Young slammed police for failing to discover the antique firearm hidden in a holster under his coat when they arrested him for carrying bullets on the street.
He said he couldn’t believe police did not find the Colt M1892 Navy and Army revolver when they stopped De Zoysa by chance on September 25, 2020, mistakenly believing he was a burglar as he walked around South London late at night carrying a large duffel bag.
‘What he had on him if he was here in New Zealand, they would have found that. Because I’ve been through that situation. I’ve been through police stations where they searched the suspect. It was not done right,’ he told Television New Zealand.
Cannabis addicted loner Louis De Zoysa, 25, (pictured) was convicted of murder after smuggling an antique revolver into a police station and shooting Sergeant Matt Ratana
New Zealand born Matt Ratana (pictured) was killed after being shot with an antique Colt M1892 Navy and Army revolver by Louis De Zoysa
Body cam footage showed the moment Louis De Zoysa was stopped in the street in South London
The killer, now 25, showed no emotion as he was convicted of murder at Northampton Crown Court.
Dressed in black, the wheelchair-bound defendant, who was left brain-damaged after one of his shots hit him in the neck, merely nodded at the judge.
His distraught mother Elizabeth cried out, ‘God bless you, I love you,’ as her son was wheeled out of the courtroom.
It can be revealed that police believe the coder, who was working for Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs, may have been on his way to attack his father when he was stopped by police just moments from his family home.
Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward had suggested at an earlier hearing at the Old Bailey that De Zoysa’s volatile relationship with his father was ‘one factor’ in the murder.
The drug addict, who spent around £200 a month on skunk cannabis, claimed he had bought the weapon during lockdown as he feared the pandemic could lead to food shortages and he may need to hunt wildlife to survive.
Psychologist Dr Nigel Blackwood said: ‘He had worked on weapons in his garage in Banstead for six months before the alleged offence. He was unsure why he had done this: he stated that he did not want to hurt anyone.’
He also told psychologists he had started carrying a pistol after he was robbed in 2021 following a drugs deal gone wrong.
Louis De Zoysa (pictured) was left brain-damaged and in a wheelchair after one of his shots hit him in the neck
Louis De Zoysa (centre top) shot Sergeant Matt Ratana (centre bottom) while still handcuffed in a custody cell
The coder said he bought the antique revolver (pictured) during Covid s he feared the pandemic could lead to food shortages
An examination of his digital devices uncovered material relating to Right-wing extremism, Islamic extremism and homophobia.
PCs Richard Davey and Samantha Still stopped De Zoysa by chance and carried out a stop and search, discovering a bag containing bullets and 3g of cannabis.
But they failed to reach up underneath his coat to spot the gun strapped in a holster. He kept it hidden until arriving at the Croydon police station, where he shot Sgt Ratana without any warning.
Yesterday the Independent Office for Police Conduct said the two officers involved will not face any misconduct action and went so far as to describe their efforts to subdue the gunman as ‘heroic’.
Following the murder, the Met Police have issued more than 4,000 hand-held metal detectors and piloted the use of full body scanners in custody suites.
Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers ‘never have a perfect picture of what awaits them’ and praised the ‘professionalism’ and ‘bravery’ of the officers involved.
The victim’s partner Su Bushby fought back tears as he was convicted. She said: ‘My love for Matt, my gentle giant, will never end.’
