Sgt Matt Ratana
(Picture: PA Media)The alleged killer of a Metropolitan Police sergeant who was shot dead at a south London custody centre is due to stand trial in June next year.
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.
The defendant appeared at Northampton crown court on Friday for a pre-trial hearing, when Mr Justice Baker set a date of June 6 next year for his trial, due to last up to three weeks.
De Zoysa is due to enter pleas to charges of murder, possession of a firearm, and possession of ammunition at a court hearing in February, while a further pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for next April.
De Zoysa 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, has not yet entered any pleas to the charges he faces.
The judge said further court hearings and the trial itself will take place at Northampton crown court.
