The killer of Sgt Matt Ratana has been told by a judge that he could not blame being autistic for fatally shooting the police officer.

       Sentencing Louis De Zoysa, 26, to a whole-life term, meaning he will never be freed, Justice Jeremy Johnson told him: “Autism is not to blame for this – you are.”

       De Zoysa, a cannabis user, shot Sgt Ratana in a police station in Croydon, south London, while handcuffed in a cell.

       The gun fanatic was convicted of murder last month after jurors were shown distressing CCTV footage of the 26-year-old using a legally-bought revolver to shoot the officer in September 2020. Sgt Ratana died in hospital after being struck by two bullets in the holding cell.

       The jury that convicted De Zoysa, a former tax office data analyst, was not told that a shortened infantry rifle, numerous types of ammunition, a pipe gun and a dummy launcher were found at his rented property after the killing.

       Sentencing De Zoysa at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday, the judge told him: “You acted in cold blood. You intended to kill Sergeant Ratana. You aimed the gun at his chest at near point-blank range. Even as he fell, you re-aimed and fired a second shot at him.

       “The aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors. There is therefore no justification to depart from the starting point of a whole-life order.”

       De Zoysa, who is expected to be held at HMP Belmarsh, in south-east London, showed no obvious reaction as he was told he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

       The judge said victim impact statements made to the court by the siblings, son, stepmother, former partner and partner of Sgt Ratana showed they were “rightly immensely proud” of him.

       Stressing that the sentence imposed on De Zoysa was one “of last resort” reserved for cases of the most extreme gravity, the judge told him: “A whole-life order means that you must remain in custody for the rest of your life.

       “The events are clear on CCTV and body-worn video evidence. You knew the gun worked, you knew that each cartridge was likely to kill if fired directly at a person’s chest.

       “You deliberately concealed the gun from the police. You told them you had cannabis to focus their attention on that. You made strenuous and successful efforts to retrieve the gun while you were handcuffed behind your back.”

       De Zoysa, who is thought to have removed the gun from a holster while in a police van and then kept it hidden under the vent of his overcoat, had time and space to consider what to do, the judge said.

       “You were able to think about what you would do,” he added. “Autism is not to blame for your decision to murder Sgt Ratana. You are to blame for that.”

       The court was told that officials at Belmarsh have confirmed the prison has the resources and facilities to provide the type of medical care De Zoysa requires.