The alleged killer of a Metropolitan Police Sergeant who was shot dead at a south London custody centre appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.
Louis De Zoysa, 25, is accused of shooting Matt Ratana in the chest while handcuffed during a search at a police station in Croydon in the early hours of September 25, 2020.
At a hearing in front of Mr Justice Jeremy Baker, De Zoysa used a red pen and a piece of card to identify himself to the court, appearing on a video link from a secure hospital.
He wrote down his full name and date of birth before holding it up to the screen.
The defendant was in a wheelchair, and wore a fawn-coloured turtleneck sweater for the hearing with his right arm in a blue sling.
He did not say anything, and was not asked to enter pleas to charges of murder, possession of a firearm, and possession of ammunition.
De Zoysa is due to stand trial on June 6 at Northampton crown court, and was ordered to return to court for further hearings on April 24 and 25.
He is accused of discharging four bullets in a holding cell at Croydon Custody Centre after he was arrested in the street in Norwood.
The first bullet struck 54-year-old Sgt Ratana in the chest, causing a fatal wound, while he was also hit in the leg. De Zoysa himself was also shot in the incident.
Sgt Ratana was taken to St George’s Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, while De Zoysa survived after he was treated by officers and London Ambulance staff.
The defendant, from Norbury and who had been staying in Banstead at the time, remains in custody.
