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Sergeant Matiu Ratana shooting: Killer Louis De Zoysa will never be freed
A man has been been sentenced to a whole-life prison term for murdering Met Police sergeant Matiu Ratana.
Ratana, 54, was shot in the chest and leg at Croydon custody centre by Louis De Zoysa, who had smuggled an antique gun into the building following his arrest on 25 September, 2020.
He was found guilty of murder, having claimed diminished responsibility.
Ratana’s partner Su Bushby said her grief was “tormenting” and spoke of an “intense” feeling of emptiness.
De Zoysa, 26, of Banstead, Surrey, shot himself after the attack and was left with brain damage.
The defendant, who communicated in court using a whiteboard, remained impassive as the whole-life order was handed down.
Sentencing at Northampton Crown Court, Justice Jeremy Johnson said De Zoysa’s autism and the impact on his family were not sufficient mitigating factors for a lesser term.
“You acted in cold blood. You intended to kill Sergeant Ratana. You aimed the gun at his chest at near point-blank range,” he said.
“Even as he fell you re-aimed and fired a second shot at him. The aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors.”
De Zoysa, who will serve his sentence at Belmarsh prison, becomes the 65th person in jail in England and Wales under a whole-life order.
Photo: Hackney Police
During a three-week trial, the jury was shown video footage of the New Zealand-born sergeant being hit in the chest by the first of three shots discharged by De Zoysa.
A second bullet struck him in his thigh before De Zoysa was wrestled to the ground by other officers.
Ratana, who was known as Matt, died of his injuries in hospital.
In the hours before Ratana’s death, De Zoysa was arrested while walking along London Road in Norbury, south London.
He told the two arresting officers he was carrying cannabis. However, in a holster hidden under his left arm he was also found to be carrying an antique Colt revolver.
His waistband was checked and he was frisked, but the officers missed the gun. They had no metal detector in their patrol car.
De Zoysa was then taken to Croydon custody centre in the back of a police van. Detectives believe it was during this journey he moved the gun from the holster to his hands, still cuffed behind his back.
There was also no metal detector at the entrance to the custody area, so the gun was not found as he entered. Once inside the custody suite, Ratana told De Zoysa he would need to be searched again.
As another officer pulled him to his feet, De Zoysa brought his still-cuffed hands from behind his back and shot Ratana in the heart.
RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
rnz
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