Matt Ratana: Trial date set for man accused of murdering Met Police sergeant while on duty

Metropolitan Police sergeant Matt Ratana, 54, died in September 2020 at a custody suite in Croydon Credit: PA Media

A man accused of murdering a Met Police officer inside a south London custody centre has been told he will stand trial next summer.

Louis De Zoysa, 25, was not required to enter any plea during a court appearance on Friday which heard that his trial, lasting up to three weeks, will start on 6 June.

Prosecutors allege De Zoysa shot custody sergeant Matt Ratana in the chest while handcuffed at a police station in Croydon in the early hours of 25 September 2020.

He is accused of discharging four bullets in a holding cell during the alleged incident in 2020, in which he was also injured.

The first shot hit Sgt Ratana in the chest, inflicting a fatal wound, while he was also hit in the leg.

De Zoysa, who appeared in a wheelchair in the dock at Northampton Crown Court, is accused of discharging four bullets in a holding cell at Croydon Custody Centre, during an incident in which he was also injured.

Sgt Ratana, 54, died from a wound to the chest.

Sergeant Matt Ratana was described as a 'gentle giant' in tributes after his death Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA

The defendant, of no fixed address, is due to re-appear at Northampton Crown Court in the week beginning 20 February for a plea and case management hearing.

High Court Judge Mr Justice Jeremy Baker also set a further pre-trial hearing for a day in the week commencing 24 April.

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