Met Police sergeant Matt Ratana's killer found guilty of murdering Sussex rugby coach

Sergeant Matt Ratana, from Goring-by-Sea, was shot dead on September 25, 2020 when he was working at Croydon Custody Centre.

Louis de Zoysa, 25, of no fixed address, has now been convicted of murdering the popular police sergeant, who had been a serving officer for 29 years. He will be sentenced on July 27.

Matt also coached at Worthing Rugby Club and used to play for East Grinstead RC.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “The Met has joined Matt’s family, friends and colleagues in welcoming the result in this awful case, which was investigated by the Met's Specialist Crime Command.”

How the incident unfolded

In the early hours of September 25 2020, De Zoysa was stopped for the purpose of a search by two uniformed police officers on vehicle patrol, whilst in London Road, Croydon, the Met Police said.

“De Zoysa directed the officers to an amount of cannabis contained in a large holdall he was carrying,” a spokesperson added.

"He was placed in handcuffs and detained for a search, during which they subsequently found some rounds of ammunition in a pouch, which De Zoysa described as ‘militaria’ or ‘for show’.

“He was arrested on suspicion of possession of ammunition and possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply.”

‘Unbeknownst to anyone’, De Zoysa was ‘concealing an antique firearm’ in a holster under his armpit, police said.

The Met added: “Due to the discovery of the ammunition and for their security, officers handcuffed De Zoysa with his hands behind his back. He was placed in a police van and taken to the one of the Met’s custody centres on Windmill Road in Croydon for a further search.

“After arrival, Police Sergeant Matt Ratana checked De Zoysa’s temperature as part of Covid protocols in place at the time. He was then allowed to enter the custody suite.

“De Zoysa was still handcuffed to the rear and was placed into a holding cell where officers remained with him. He was seated on a bench with his back to the wall. Sergeant Ratana authorised a further search of De Zoysa, including the use of a hand-held metal detector search wand.”

Police said the arresting officers were standing either side of De Zoysa with Sergeant Ratana directly in front of him.

"As the officers struggled to get him to respond to an instruction to stand up, De Zoysa produced a gun to the right-hand side of his body and fired two shots at close range towards Sergeant Ratana.

"Officers immediately tried to disarm De Zoysa as he fired a third shot. As they brought him to the floor, De Zoysa fired a fourth shot which entered his own neck.”

Police officers, staff and paramedics attempted to save Sergeant Ratana’s life. Tragically, despite their best efforts and being rushed to hospital, his injuries proved fatal.

The Met spokesperson said: “De Zoysa was given life-saving first aid, during which the hidden firearm holster was discovered, and he was subsequently taken to hospital.

“De Zoysa had sustained serious injuries. On November 13, 2020, once he was well enough to understand, he was arrested on suspicion of murdering a police officer. On June 29, 2021, he was deemed well enough to be formally charged with murder.

"On November 18, 2022, a judge from the Central Criminal Court, sitting at Northampton Crown Court, found De Zoysa fit to plead.”

New government legislation introduced

The investigation found that De Zoysa legally purchased the gun he used, an antique Colt .41, 1895 double action revolver, under ‘obsolete calibre’ exemptions, police said.

Following the murder, new government legislation was introduced banning this type of antique weapon.

The Met said: “It was established that De Zoysa had manufactured the ammunition used in the fatal shooting at home. No ammunition was readily available to buy for the 128-year-old-weapon.

“The events surrounding the murder have been independently investigated by both the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

“The IOPC investigation into the search of De Zoyza found no indication any officer behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or that they had committed a criminal offence. They did identify some learning for two individual officers around body searching and transportation of detainees.

“The IOPC has recommended to the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) that they consider the implementation of handheld metal detectors in all police response vehicles and vehicles used to transport detained persons.”

Police said that, at the time of the murder, hand-held metal detector wands ‘were already in use in Met custody centres’.

Within weeks of the murder, the Met began a roll-out of hand-held search wands to vehicles used to transport suspects.

"Now 4,300 wands have been issued for use across the Met for front line officers in custody, vehicles and a pool of devices has been allocated for officers in vehicles and on foot/cycle patrol,” the force revealed.

“Officer and staff safety is always a priority for the Met and safety procedures, training and equipment are constantly kept under review.

"The Met has further improved its Public and Personal Safety Training (PPST). Training places a significant emphasis on scenarios and practical skills that officers can immediately implement.

"From February 2022, the use of search wands was incorporated into training, which focuses on their practical use as well enhanced searching of persons and vehicles.”