Louis De Zoysa

The offence

What the court heard

He was found guilty of murder in Croydon, South London, on 25 September 2020. He had pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. Sentencing Remarks of Mr Justice Johnson 1. Introduction 1.1 At 1.26am on 25 September 2020 you shot dead Sergeant Matt Ratana. 1.2 He was the custody sergeant at Croydon Police Station. He had devoted his working life to public service, putting himself in danger to protect the public, and to protect and safeguard those who are brought into custody. You have robbed Su Bushby of their future life together; Diane Peachey of her step-son; Luke Ratana, of his father; Jessica Williams and James Young, of their brother. They are all, rightly, immensely proud of the man you killed. They recognise that the sole responsibility for his death lies with you. They express only support, sympathy, respect and admiration for the other officers who were on duty. Luke Ratana is, himself, a police officer. He knows as well as anyone the dangers they face and the difficult circumstances in which they operate. 1.3 You said you had an autistic meltdown. You said you had diminished responsibility. The jury disagreed. The jury convicted you of murder. The sentence for murder is set by law. It is imprisonment for life. So, I sentence you to imprisonment for life. I impose the statutory surcharge in the sum required by law. I have made a deprivation order in respect of specified items that were seized from you. 1.4 I am satisfied that you will be held in conditions that will ensure your medical needs can be accommodated and that you can be treated in accordance with your rights. The operational manager for the category A team at His Majesty's Prison, Belmarsh, has confirmed that they have the resources and facilities to provide the care that is required. The Secretary of State can, if necessary, make an order for your detention in hospital. I refused an application to adjourn sentence. I am satisfied that there has been ample time to obtain any information that is relevant to sentencing. I have a great deal of medical evidence about your condition. I have all of the information that is necessary to pass sentence. 2. Minimum term order and whole life order 2.1 The law requires the court to decide whether to set a minimum term order or a whole life order. A minimum term order means that you can be considered for release after you have served the minimum term. A whole life order means that you will remain in custody for the rest of…

Aggravating and mitigating factors

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) / Asperger Syndrome (AS)

Around this case

• Northampton Crown Court
• Prosecuted by Crown Prosecution Service
• Investigated by Metropolitan Police Service