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supplied/Metropolitan Police
Rugby coach and UK Metropolitan Police Sergeant Matt Ratana, originally from New Zealand, was murdered in the line of duty in London.
A British court has found a man guilty of murdering NZ-born London police sergeant Matiu (Matt) Ratana.
Louis De Zoysa, 25, murdered Ratana, 54, at a police custody centre in south London in 2020.
A Metropolitan Police officer of 29 years, Ratana, who was originally from New Zealand, was nearing retirement.
De Zoysa was handcuffed and in a custody suite at the time. He had smuggled in an antique pistol and a holster under one of his armpits.
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The gun was fired four times, with two shots hitting Ratana and one hitting De Zoysa himself, leaving the autistic man with some brain damage.
Following a two-and-a-half-week-long trial at the Northampton Crown Court, a jury unanimously found De Zoysa guilty of murder, the Guardian reported.
Metropolitan Police officers have been paying tribute to their former colleague, Sergeant Matt Ratana, who was killed in the line of duty.
De Zoysa, who uses a wheelchair, gave his testimony by writing answers on a board in court due to his communication difficulties as a result of his brain damage.
The defence had argued that De Zoysa had not intended on shooting Ratana and that he had suffered an “autistic meltdown”.
Asked by his lawyer why he did not let police know about the gun, De Zoysa wrote that was “anxious”.
He also touched his chest and wrote “beating fast”, “fear” and “panic”.
However, a doctor did not believe De Zoysa was hyperventilating in video footage of the incident shown to the court.
“[De Zoysa] demonstrated a clear ability to control his actions.”
The doctor also said De Zoysa “demonstrated a clear ability to control his actions”.
He will be sentenced in July.
Speaking after the verdict, Ratana’s partner Su Bushby said that while the court case had come to an end, her feelings of grief and loss would continue.
“My love for Matt, my gentle giant, will never end. He will never be forgotten.”
Ratana, who was head coach of East Grinstead Rugby Football Club, has been remembered by his Metropolitan Police colleagues as a loveable man with “genuine kindness” who would “move heaven and earth to make sure everyone came home safely at the end of the day”.
The Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation was launched in his honour, with the aim of supporting school and community rugby initiatives internationally.
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