Louis De Zoysa has been found guilty of murdering New Zealand-born Met police officer Matiu Ratana in a holding cell in South London in 2021.
De Zoysa, 25, was hoping for a lesser charge of manslaughter, claiming he had an autistic meltdown the night he shot Sgt Ratana, 54, with an antique gun.
Two other Met officers had failed to find the gun during his arrest.
After the guilty verdict, Sgt Ratana’s partner, Su Bushby, said De Zoysa was killed in a “cruel and cowardly manner”.
“His life was taken too soon, in the line of duty, doing a job that he loved. A cruel end to a lifetime of service and dedication protecting others,” she said.
Bushby said whilst the court case has concluded, the constant feeling of grief and loss continued.
“My love for Matt, my gentle giant, will never end. He will not be forgotten,” she said.
Stuart Cundy, Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner, said Matiu Ratana was a “larger than life, can-do individual” and someone who had an “absolute passion for supporting people and doing good”.
He said the verdict was the result of a long and painstaking investigation, and the actions of De Zoysa nearly 3 years ago “reverberates to this day within the Met”.
Louis De Zoysa’s defence team were hoping for a manslaughter conviction. (Source: 1News)
The Met has implemented a number of changes which include rolling out 4,300 metal detector wands which officers now carry in their cars, and a full body scanner, similar to those seen at an airport, is also on trial at a London police station.
Police officers in custody suits must also wear body armour.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cundy told 1 News the Met has “done everything we can to stop this happening ever again”.
He defended the actions of the two officers who initially missed the gun, saying they had searched De Zoysa the best they could and wouldn’t go as far as to say they had made a mistake.
“There will always be things we want to learn [such as] things we could’ve done differently, which might have had a different outcome,” he said.
De Zoysa will be sentenced on July 27th.
SHARE ME