Sgt Matiu Ratana: Murder accused denies intending to fire gun

A antheral accused of murdering Metropolitan Police sergeant Matiu Ratana has denied helium meant to propulsion the trigger.

Louis De Zoysa changeable Sgt Ratana, 54, the on-duty custody sergeant, astatine Croydon custody centre connected 25 September 2020.

The defendant, who denies murder, told Northampton Crown Court helium had hypermobility, a information that means it is easier to crook and stretch.

He admitted helium pointed a gun, portion helium was handcuffed, astatine Sgt Ratana's thorax but denied helium meant to sprout him.

The prosecution alleges Mr De Zoysa, from Banstead successful Surrey, "pulled the trigger connected intent 4 times" successful a holding room.

The assemblage has heard Mr De Zoysa was deed successful the cervix by 1 of the bullets. He was near with encephalon harm and has trouble communicating, sometimes utilizing a whiteboard to reply questions. 

During the hearing, Mr De Zoysa was cross-examined by the prosecution barrister Jocelyn Ledward, who showed him the video of his travel successful a constabulary van to the custody suite that night.

"At this clip wherever was the gun?" Ms Ledward asked, and helium pointed to the country nether his near armpit.

She questioned wherever the weapon was astatine assorted stages successful the travel and erstwhile helium got to the constabulary station. Each clip Mr De Zoysa said "I don't know".

Ms Ledward asked Mr De Zoysa wherefore helium was moving astir successful the footage changeable successful the van, to which helium replied "hyperventilating," arsenic good arsenic aboriginal adding determination were "no seatbelts".

Asked whether helium had been "moving the weapon retired of the holster?", Mr De Zoysa responded: "I don't know. Hypermobility."

"You person hypermobility?" she followed up. He replied: "Yeah. Easier."

Asking him to clarify whether that meant it was "easier to crook and stretch", helium responded: "Yeah."

Ms Ledward questioned whether helium had "put the weapon successful your manus truthful that you could occurrence it?", to which Mr De Zoysa said: "I don't know."

The suspect was besides shown CCTV footage of him walking to the holding cell, and slow-motion footage of the infinitesimal helium brought the weapon retired from down his backmost successful the cell.

Mr De Zoysa confirmed, erstwhile asked by Ms Ledward, that helium pointed the weapon astatine Sgt Ratana's thorax and past pulled the trigger.

She past asked: "Did you mean to propulsion the trigger astatine that point?"

When asked astir what helium had been saying successful the infinitesimal earlier the weapon went off, the suspect replied: "Sick...Throw up."

Asked whether helium had been "feeling sick" by defence lawyer Imran Khan KC, Mr De Zoysa said: "Yeah. Something happening successful the mind... Like puking... Butterflies."

Mr Khan besides asked if Mr De Zoysa had wanted to termination himself with the weapon that day, and helium replied "no".

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Dinesh Maganty besides appeared arsenic an adept witness.

Mr Khan asked Dr Maganty: "Is it your considered sentiment that Louis De Zoysa suffered an autistic meltdown astatine the time?"

Dr Maganty said: "If the relationship fixed by him to maine is accepted, and the prosecution communicative is not, past yes.

"But if the prosecution communicative is accepted successful its entirety, past no."

Asked by Mr Khan if a idiosyncratic being "overwhelmed by autistic meltdown" was "not successful power of their actions", Dr Maganty said "you can't beryllium successful power if you're wholly overwhelmed".

However, Dr Maganty said that "if, arsenic the prosecution lawsuit is, helium brought the weapon out, helium was readying it, helium intended to bash it, that's wholly not accordant with an autistic meltdown".