Protests have formed outside the Old Bailey after Metropolitan Police marksman Martyn Blake was cleared of murder following the death of Chris Kaba in court today.
Chris, 24, was shot in the head through the windscreen of an Audi following a police pursuit and ‘hard stop’ by officers on September 5, 2022.
A year later, Blake was charged with murder following a referral from the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
ollowing three hours of deliberation from a jury on Monday, the firearms officer was found not guilty of murdering Mr Kaba.
Dozens of protestors have gathered outside the courthouse with Mr Kaba’s family, who say they are ‘devastated’ and feel ‘the deep pain of injustice’.
They said the verdict was a failure ‘for all those affected by police violence’, adding that ‘no family should endure the unimaginable grief we have faced’.
In a statement issued by campaign group Inquest, Mr Kaba’s family said they would ‘continue fighting for Chris, for justice, and for real change’.
Chants of ‘say his name – Chris Kaba’ and ‘No justice – no peace’ were heard outside the Central Criminal Court on Monday evening as police closed off the road to traffic.
Mr Kaba’s family, who long campaigned for justice for their son, said they had been left ‘devastated’ by the result.
They said: ‘The not guilty verdict leaves us with the deep pain of injustice adding to the unbearable sorrow we have felt since Chris was killed.
‘No family should endure the unimaginable grief we have faced. Chris was stolen from us, and this decision shows his life — and many others like him — does not matter to the system. Our son deserved better.
‘The acquittal of Martyn Blake isn’t just a failure for our family, but for all those affected by police violence.
‘Despite this verdict, we won’t be silenced. We are deeply grateful to everyone who stood by us and fought for justice. We will continue fighting for Chris, for justice, and for real change. Chris’ life mattered, and nothing can take that away from us.’
During the hearing at the Old Bailey, Blake, 40, appeared to be briefly overcome with emotion as the jury returned its verdict.
He breathed out, puffed his cheeks and turned away in an apparent show of relief.
The family of Mr Kaba, who sat in the well of the court, sat in stony silence and made no immediate reaction.
Sir Mark Rowley gave a statement outside of Scotland Yard afterwards, saying: ‘He (Blake) has acted with professionalism and dignity throughout… I worry about the lack of support officers face for doing their best.
‘But most of all, I worry for the public. The more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime. That risks London becoming less safe.’
The Crown Prosecution Service since defended its decision to prosecute Blake, saying it was ‘right that the case was put before the jury for them to scrutinise and to decide.’
Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: ‘First and foremost I want to say that my thoughts and those of the CPS remain with the family of Chris Kaba.
‘Today armed Metropolitan Police officer Martyn Blake has been found not guilty of the charge of murder. We fully respect the jury’s decision.
‘This has been a complex and sensitive case and the decision to prosecute was made after an in-depth consideration of all the available evidence.
‘We recognise that firearms officers operate under enormous pressure, but it is our responsibility to put cases before a jury that meet our test for prosecution, and we are satisfied that test was met in this case.
‘It is therefore right that the case was put before the jury for them to scrutinise and to decide. They have carefully considered each piece of evidence, including video and Martyn Blake’s own account. They have made up their minds in the proper way and we thank them for doing so.’
The IOPC meanwhile defended its decision to refer the shooting to the Crown Prosecution Service, with IOPC director Amanda Rowe saying: ‘The decisions to criminally investigate Sergeant Blake, and then to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), followed careful consideration of a significant amount of evidence gathered during our independent investigation and by applying the relevant legal tests which govern our work.
‘Following the CPS decision to charge Martyn Blake with murder, the matter has now been heard in open court and the officer has accounted for his actions before a jury.
‘Ultimately it is that jury’s decision, having carefully considered all the evidence, to determine guilt or innocence and we respect that decision and thank them for their consideration.’
During the trial, the jury heard that the car Mr Kaba was in had been used as a getaway car in a shooting the previous evening.
It was pursued by officers after and hemmed in by police cars in Kirkstall Gardens, Brixton, south London, after an officer recognised its registration number.
Mr Kaba drove backwards and forwards trying to ram his way free, which Mr Blake told jurors made him believe one of his colleagues was about to die, and so he opened fire to stop the car.
A fellow firearms officer, who has not been named and was known as DS87, said he would have taken a shot if Mr Blake had not, and another identified by the cypher E156 said he was ‘fractions of a second’ away from doing the same.
Another officer, who was named only as NX109, got the finger of his glove caught in the Audi’s door handle and just managed to wrench it free as it moved forward, telling the jury he thought he would be dragged between it and a Tesla parked nearby.
Sir Mark Rowley’s remarks on the verdict
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said Mr Blake had paid ‘a huge personal and professional sacrifice’ over the past two years since the shooting.
He said the officer had made ‘a split second decision on what he believed was necessary to protect his colleagues and to protect London’.
Sir Mark took aim at the systems used to hold police officers who take lethal shots to account.
‘No police officer is above the law, but we have been clear that the system holding police to account is broken. I worry about the lack of support officers face for doing their best, but most of all, I worry for the public.
‘The more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime that risks London becoming less safe.’
Prosecutors argued that Mr Blake had misjudged the risk, exaggerated the threat to his colleagues in statements following the shooting, and had aimed at Mr Kaba’s head, all of which he denied.
In his defence, jurors heard a series of glowing testimonials from colleagues and senior officers.
Defence barrister Patrick Gibbs KC said Mr Blake was no ‘RoboCop’ with the ‘nanosecond’ reactions of a computer.
He told jurors: ‘He is not a robot, he is a human being with a human brain who did this to the best of his ability.’
Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct will now consider whether Mr Blake should face a disciplinary hearing.
Questions have already been raised about how firearms officers are held to account in fatal shootings, with dozens of Mr Blake’s colleagues downing tools when he was first charged with murder.
Police bosses raised concerns that officers would no longer be willing to volunteer to take on firearms training due to the levels of scrutiny that they could face if they had to take a fatal shot.
Mr Blake had never fired a gun at a human being, or seen a gun fired at a human being, before the night Mr Kaba died.
The jury heard that those close to Mr Blake had been hesitant about him becoming a police marksman but that he felt it was ‘the best job’ in the Metropolitan Police.
Official figures show that in England and Wales in the year to March 2023 there were 18,395 police firearms operations.
Police weapons were deliberately fired at 10 of these incidents, resulting in three fatalities. (Metro)
