Matt 'would still be here if proper gun search had been made'

A POLICE officer who was shot dead by a prisoner in the custody suite at Croydon police station could still be alive if a proper search of the gunman had been carried out, his partner has claimed.

- John Dunne

Matt Ratana, of the Metropolitan Police, was murdered in the early hours of September 25, 2020, by Louis de Zoysa, who opened fire with an antique revolver. De Zoysa had been arrested and searched but officers failed to find the gun the 26-year-old had in an underarm holster, despite discovering bullets in his pocket.

Senior coroner Sarah OrmondWalshe, concluding an inquest into Sgt Ratana's death in November, ruled it was an unlawful killing. His partner Su Bushby, 47, is now suing Scotland Yard.

The Met confirmed that it had received the civil claim, adding that it remained "in dialogue with the claimant's legal representative".