A 23-year-old man has appeared in court accused of murdering Metropolitan Police sergeant Matt Ratana last September.

Louis de Zoysa, from Surrey, has been in hospital under police guard for the past 10 months, but has now been declared well enough to face charges.

De Zoysa appeared via video link, sitting up in his hospital bed, for the short hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

He is charged with the murder of Sergeant Ratana in Windmill police custody centre in south London on 25 September 2020.

The defendant did not speak during the hearing. Instead he raised a small board with his name and date of birth written on when asked to confirm his personal details.

As well as a murder charge, he is also charged with the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The court heard that de Zoysa had been stopped and searched in south London in the early hours of 25 September.

He was taken to the main custody centre in Croydon for a further search.

During a scuffle inside the custody suite, Sergeant Ratana suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

The defendant also sustained a gunshot wound in the incident.

He was remanded back into custody in hospital and will appear at the Old Bailey in London on Friday

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