Louis De Zoysa, convicted of murdering Sergeant Matt Ratana in September 2020, has lost his appeal against conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal. The judges dismissed claims that he was unfit to stand trial and should not have received a whole-life order. In an inquest, systemic failures in police procedures were highlighted, as officers missed detecting De Zoysa's hidden firearm after his arrest. Sgt Ratana, merely months from retirement, was tragically shot in a holding cell, emphasizing serious flaws in police protocol.
"All applications will be refused, for reasons which we will give in writing," stated Dame Victoria Sharp of the Court of Appeal, dismissing De Zoysa's appeals.
De Zoysa had been arrested and searched but officers failed to find the gun he had in an underarm holster, despite discovering bullets in his pocket.
Sgt. Matt Ratana was three months away from retirement when he was fatally shot in a holding cell, after a series of policing failures.
Despite his conviction for murder and receiving a whole-life order, De Zoysa's lawyers argued he was wrongly deemed fit to plead and stand trial.
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