Louis De Soyza sentenced for murder.

[Sinistral]

This is a bizarre, and sad case which might be of interest. It should be explained that the attached sentencing report is one of many HM Courts Service send to subscribers to their daily Cause, Judgments, and Law Reports list. In line with the principles of 'open justice' the trial reports can feature anything which comes before the higher Civil and Criminal Courts. More often than not this is a tide of deadly boring stuff which has to be speed-read to keep up. This case was different, and some may already know about it.

De Soyza had a legally acquired antique revolver in .41 Colt bought at an online auction for which he made illegal ammunition. Despite being handcuffed in the holding cell of Croydon Police Station, he had got this from concealment in his armpit, and managed to fire several shots. The first one killed the custody officer Sergeant Ratana, and the last himself causing brain damage.

This has led to the issuing of over 4,000 hand held metal detectors to frontline officers, all frontline vehicles and all custody suites and the piloting of full body scanners in custody suites.
Also to important changes to tighten the law on antique firearms/obsolete calibres in Section 58(2) of the 1968 Firearms Act Ch 27 under The Antique Firearms Regulations 2021.

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/R-v-De-Zoysa-sentencing-280713.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/933597/Govt_Response_09-11-2020.pdf

 

[Scotty99]

An interesting analysis of the crime. Not sure why the need for a knee jerk reaction and order loads of high tech gear as a solution when a simple pat down search would have revealed the presence of the firearm.

 

[long_range_rob]

I used to coach at East Grinstead RFC with Matt. Anything that gives the guys a better chance of coming home alive and well is ok by me.

 

[Stalker62]

... a simple pat down search would have revealed the presence of the firearm.

Notwithstanding the terrible events of this particular case - there is no such thing as a "simple pat down search".

 

[Morkai]

Notwithstanding the terrible events of this particular case - there is no such thing as a "simple pat down search".

 

[John Gryphon]

when a simple pat down search would have revealed the presence of the firearm.

Pat downs arent much chop these days it seems. I feel that there are those males that can do similar.

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[John Gryphon]

Looking through the rabbit hole news there are quite a few incidents of missed firearms/suicides after ineffectual pat downs to be found.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Pat downs arent much chop these days it seems. I feel that there are those males that can do similar.

Inmate who smuggled gun in her vagina sentenced to 10 years in prison

A Missouri woman who smuggled a gun into a county jail by hiding it in her vagina was sentenced to a decade behind bars, a report said. Amy Wilhite, 39, had pleaded guilty to sneaking the 4-inch re…

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Let’s not go there. Please!

K

 

[John Gryphon]

Let’s not go there. Please!

They are among us.

 

[Twodogs]

That is not even close to any form of pat down search. Any proper pat down search would have found a concealed revolver, this sad case is probably more a case of an ever over stretched, under funded, under motivated and under trained police service.

 

[Morkai]

That is not even close to any form of pat down search.

Thats the joke...

 

[enfieldspares]

Thats the joke...

Yes. Hide the thing down tight with your dick and with your balls. There's few men when doing a search ever give you a good feel down there and that's from recent past personal experience of a night in police custody in the UK maybe four or five years ago. It is quite awful that the arresting officers failed to do their job properly and so derelict where they...having found ammunition on him at the time of arrest for heck's sake...that another officer would be killed as a result.

 

[John Gryphon]

that's from recent past personal experience of a night in police custody in the UK maybe four years ago.

Did you get hard son.......haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

 

[Scotty99]

Notwithstanding the terrible events of this particular case - there is no such thing as a "simple pat down search".

To locate a revolver under your arm….yes I think there is….if done properly.

 

[John Gryphon]

Did you get hard son.......haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Any chance that you may share what that night was for Richard?

 

[eggy74]

I have no idea how far the police are allowed to go, but if i had found bullets on him, i would most likely want to strip him down to his pants. if not in the street, then certainly as soon as he arrived at the station. r.i.p. to Mr Ratana and i do hope the perp is in severe pain the rest of his miserable life.

 

[shakey jake]

I have no idea how far the police are allowed to go, but if i had found bullets on him, i would most likely want to strip him down to his pants. if not in the street, then certainly as soon as he arrived at the station. r.i.p. to Mr Ratana and i do hope the perp is in severe pain the rest of his miserable life.

bullets arent a controlled item though, just little bits of metal?

 

[Stalker62]

It is quite awful that the arresting officers failed to do their job properly and so derelict where they...having found ammunition on him at the time of arrest for heck's sake...that another officer would be killed as a result.

"...so derelict where they..."

I have sat here, in the safety and the comfort of my study, wrestling with whether or not to respond to this, on what is already a very emotive thread.

I may regret this, but here goes.

Two young officers, working at night, identified and stopped a young man.
They had cause to search that man.
During that search, that man admitted to carrying cannabis (clearly in an attempt to distract the officers).

A 'street search' was carried out and ammunition was found. The female officer initially thought that this ammunition was small canisters (often used to inhale gas), she was immediately corrected by the male officer.

The suspect was arrested and everyone knows the tragic outcome, which occurred in the custody suite.

Did these young officers 'miss' the firearm in the 'street search'? Yes they did.

They will have to live with the 'consequences' of that for the rest of their lives. They will carry (unfairly) an unbearable burden of guilt until they draw their last breath.

Have you seen the video of the actual shooting?

A hard watch, but the courage displayed by both officers (especially the male) is humbling.

Were mistakes made? Yes, human mistakes, coupled with some inexperience, combined with the actions of the man they stopped, caused catastrophic consequences that no one will have foreseen, when they went to work that day.

I do not damn them.

I do not castigate them.

I weep for them.

Thank God for them.

 

[Morkai]

Not finding an item that large during a search and especially a handgun is incompetence.

 

[Pete1774]

Pat downs arent much chop these days it seems. I feel that there are those males that can do similar.

Inmate who smuggled gun in her vagina sentenced to 10 years in prison

A Missouri woman who smuggled a gun into a county jail by hiding it in her vagina was sentenced to a decade behind bars, a report said. Amy Wilhite, 39, had pleaded guilty to sneaking the 4-inch re…

nypost.com

Amy White, AKA Slack Alice