Matiu Ratana murder accused tells court he was having a ‘panic attack’ when he fired gun

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The man accused of murdering New Zealand-born London police officer Matiu Ratana says he was having a “panic attack” when he fired the fatal shot.

Louis De Zoysa, 25, denies murdering Ratana, 54, at a police custody centre in south London in 2020.

De Zoysa was handcuffed and in a custody suite at the time. He was able to pull out an antique pistol that prosecutors have said was probably concealed, along with a holster, under one of his armpits.

The gun was fired four times, the first two shots hit Ratana, the third hit a wall, and the last one hit De Zoysa in the neck causing some brain damage. Northampton Crown Court has also been told De Zoysa had an autistic spectrum condition.

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De Zoysa, who is in a wheelchair, is writing answers on a board in court.

Overnight (NZT), defence counsel Imran Khan KC asked De Zoysa if he meant to fire the gun, BBC reported. De Zoysa replied “no”.

Sergeant Matiu Ratana

supplied/Metropolitan Police

Sergeant Matiu Ratana

“Did you want to fire the gun?”, Khan asked. “No”, De Zoysa replied.

“Can you tell us why you fired the gun, Louis?” Khan asked. “Panic attack,” De Zoysa replied.

The court has also been shown footage of De Zoysa’s arrest on a road in south London, in the early hours of the morning before the shooting.

This CCTV footage shows De Zoysa sitting in a custody suite. Ratana is standing facing him.

Supplied/Supplied

This CCTV footage shows De Zoysa sitting in a custody suite. Ratana is standing facing him.

In the footage, De Zoysa told police his bag had “non-medical cannabis” in it. “I’m going to confess,” he said.

Asked by his lawyer why he didn’t tell police about the gun, De Zoysa replied: “Anxious.”

He also wrote the word “freeze” on a whiteboard, and pressed his chest and said “beating fast”, as well as the words “fear” and “panic”.

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