Sgt Matiu Ratana: Met officer murder accused sad he died, jury hears

Sgt Matiu Ratana was head coach at East Grinstead Rugby Club

A man accused of murdering Metropolitan Police custody sergeant Matiu Ratana has told a jury he felt "sad" the officer died.

Louis De Zoysa agreed CCTV footage showed him firing a gun at 54-year-old Sgt Ratana, who was shot at Croydon custody centre on 25 September 2020.

Asked what murder meant, 25-year-old Mr De Zoysa said: "Kill."

He told the court he had not meant to kill Sgt Ratana nor to cause him really serious harm.

As he began giving evidence at Northampton Crown Court, Mr De Zoysa sat in a wheelchair in the well of the courtroom with a small whiteboard and marker on the desk in front of him, which he is using because of communication difficulties.

In a modified oath, he promised to tell the truth and confirmed his name and date of birth using the whiteboard.

• Murder jury shown CCTV of policeman being shot

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The prosecution alleges Mr De Zoysa, from Banstead in Surrey, "pulled the trigger on purpose four times" while he was handcuffed in a holding room.

The court has heard that the first and second shots hit Sgt Ratana, the third hit the wall during a struggle with officers and a fourth hit the defendant.

Mr De Zoysa has been left with brain damage as a result of the gunshot wound.

'Father beat him'

Answering questions from from Mr Khan, he confirmed to the court he is autistic and regularly gets stressed out, leading him to punch chairs and walls.

Asked about his family, Mr De Zoysa alleged his father used to beat him over "trivial matters".

He later wrote the word "coke" on his whiteboard before describing his father as a "criminal", adding that he used to be a "drug dealer".

The defendant drew a stickman wearing a cast on one leg before confirming his father hit and broke his leg.

Louis De Zoysa used a whiteboard and pen to help him communicate

Mr De Zoysa told the court how he once hit his father on the head using a metal rod. He said this was out of "panic" and possibly caused by his autism.

The court heard in June 2019 he was arrested for "fighting" his father because his dad was upsetting him and talking "too loud".

'Set fire to carpet'

He confirmed to jurors he had previously broken the stairs in his family home and set a carpet on fire because he was "upset", and also said he smoked cannabis due to "stress" as it helped him feel "mellow".

The court heard the defendant received A grades at A-Level for chemistry, physics and maths, and attended University College London but did not finish his degree, going on to work in coding at HMRC.

The jury was told that during the early hours of 25 September 2020, Mr De Zoysa was arrested on London Road in Norbury, south London, after a stop and search by officers found cannabis and seven rounds of ammunition on him.

The court heard officers did not know he had a gun until it was used to shoot Sgt Ratana.

The trial continues.

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