00:00 The jury found you guilty of murder.
00:05 The sentence for murder is set by law.
00:09 It is life imprisonment.
00:11 So I sentence you to life imprisonment.
00:14 This is the moment Luis de Soiza was handed a whole life sentence for the murder of Met
00:19 Police Sergeant Matt Ratner, who was fatally shot at a custody centre in September 2020.
00:25 The sentence means the 26-year-old will never be released from prison.
00:29 Although he was handcuffed, de Soiza managed to fire an antique gun that he'd smuggled
00:33 into the centre in Croydon, South London.
00:36 Ratner was struck in the chest and thigh.
00:38 De Soiza said he had an autistic meltdown and claimed diminished responsibility as a
00:42 defence for his actions, but a jury decided he pulled the trigger deliberately to fire
00:47 homemade bullets.
00:48 Matt was a great police officer.
00:51 He was a brilliant sergeant and he was a lovely man.
00:55 And he led a very purposeful life.
00:57 He packed an awful lot in.
01:00 He was loved in the Met and by the public that we work with.
01:05 New Zealand-born Ratner was a keen sports player and a coach at East Grinstead Rugby
01:09 Club.
01:10 He was 54 years old when he was shot and just two months away from retirement age.
01:13 He was also due to marry his partner of five years, Sue Bushby.
01:17 Today is about the justice for Matt.
01:20 Whilst the court case has concluded, the constant feeling of grief and loss continues.
01:28 My love for Matt, my gentle giant, will never end.
01:31 He will never be forgotten.
Comments