Chris Kaba was a “core member” of one of London’s most dangerous criminal gangs and was allegedly directly linked to two shootings in the six days before he was shot dead by police, it can now be reported.
The 24-year-old was said to have shot a rival in the legs at a nightclub six days before he died in September 2022, and would have stood trial for attempted murder had he survived.
He had previous convictions for possession of weapons, and the Audi that he was driving when he was killed was linked to three previous firearms incidents in five months.
Police marksman Martyn Blake, 40, was cleared of Mr Kaba’s murder at the same court on Monday.
He shot the 24-year-old through the windscreen of an Audi Q8 as the 24-year-old tried to ram his way past police cars on September 5 2022.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said that firearms officers “deserve our and the public’s gratitude for their bravery”.
“It is obviously crucial that the police have the ability to use their powers with legal certainty and clarity, all in balance with the public’s need to see accountability,” the spokesman said.
But this was rejected after the media successfully challenged the bid.
In a letter to the court, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy had argued that “open and transparent public disclosure” of Mr Kaba’s bad character would “significantly reduce the risk of unrest on the streets of London and keep the public safe”.
Police officers did not know who was driving the Audi on the night Mr Kaba died, but they did know it had been used as a getaway car in a shooting in Brixton, south London, the night before.
It was also linked to the Hackney nightclub shooting for which Mr Kaba would have stood trial for attempted murder.
The prosecution case was that he had gunned down a key figure in a rival gang after spotting him at the Oval Space nightclub in Hackney, north London, early on August 30 2022.
Before Mr Blake’s trial began, his defence team had argued that the full background should be put before the jury, because the nightclub shooting explained why Mr Kaba wanted to escape police.
Patrick Gibbs KC said Mr Kaba had been intent on getting away “at any costs no matter the danger to another person”.
Neither the 24-year-old rapper’s gang history nor criminal record was revealed in the trial of firearms officer sergeant Mr Blake after a senior judge ruled it had no bearing on the issues for jurors to decide.
Anger has been sparked on all sides following Mr Blake’s acquittal in just over three hours by a jury at the Old Bailey on Monday.
Matt Cane, general secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation, welcomed Mr Justice Goss’s decision to allow reporting of Mr Kaba’s history and maintained Mr Blake should “never have stood trial”.
“The ramifications of this case remain widespread; police officers should not have their livelihoods, and their liberty, put at risk for performing what unequivocally, in this case, was his lawful and appropriate function.”
Mr Kaba’s family said they are “devastated” at the verdict, and have vowed to keep on fighting for justice for their son.
A fellow firearms officer who was at the scene on the night Mr Kaba died told Radio 4’s Today programme “at no point was there any evidence that (Mr Blake) had done anything wrong”.
The former marksman called for police officers who take fatal shots to face court martial-style hearings rather than jury trials, adding: “There’s a problem when police officers are scrutinised by people who don’t necessarily understand the pressures and the issues involved.”
Mr Blake will be immediately reinstated to his job but will need to undergo refresher training before being deployed operationally.
Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct will decide whether he should face disciplinary proceedings.
Before the jury delivered its verdict on Monday, it had sent a note to Mr Justice Goss asking for permission also to pass comment, which was denied.
Following speculation about what the jury might have said, the media, supported by a lawyer for Mr Kaba’s family, asked the senior judge to release the note.
Mr Justice Goss refused.
