Chris Kaba’s family says policing reforms like ‘punishment’ for his case

The household of Chris Kaba has said the Home Secretary’s caller policing reforms, which see anonymity for prosecuted firearms officers unless they are convicted, were similar a “punishment” for his case.

It comes aft families of radical who person died successful custody delivered a handwritten enactment to Sir Keir Starmer and said they privation to punctual the Prime Minister of “everybody’s close to life”.

The missive was delivered aft hundreds of radical marched to Downing Street from Trafalgar Square connected Saturday with the United Families and Friends Campaign, which supports the families of “loved ones mislaid astatine the hands of the state”.

The household of Chris Kaba, who was fatally changeable by constabulary marksman Martyn Blake – who was cleared of execution connected Monday – attended the march on with members of the Justice for Chris Kaba campaign.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper unveiled a drawstring of reforms this week, including that the individuality of firearms officers volition beryllium kept concealed if they are prosecuted unless they are convicted.

Mr Blake, 40, stood proceedings aft shooting Mr Kaba done the beforehand windscreen of an Audi Q8 arsenic the 24-year-old tried to ram his mode past constabulary cars successful Streatham, south-east London, connected September 5 2022.

When reporting restrictions were lifted aft the lawsuit concluded, it emerged Mr Kaba was a “core member” of 1 of London’s astir unsafe transgression gangs and was allegedly straight linked to 2 shootings successful the six days earlier helium was changeable dormant by police.

Sheeda Kaba, the relative of Mr Kaba, said the Home Secretary’s caller measures connected anonymity for firearms officers were similar a “punishment” for her cousin’s case.

Speaking to media extracurricular Number 10, she said: “All that said to america was that we’re tightening the extortion of officers due to the fact that determination could ne'er beryllium different serviceman that gets this far, going to trial.

“So it’s astir similar we’re being punished due to the fact that my cousin’s lawsuit got that acold wrong 2 years. So (with) the smear run by the media it’s similar we’re dying a 2nd death.

“First they took Chris and present they privation to instrumentality us. But talking connected behalf of my family, we volition not beryllium silenced.

“We’re gonna transportation connected saying Chris’s name.”

Speaking to the PA quality bureau extracurricular 10 Downing Street, Marcia Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg, who died successful constabulary custody successful 2008, said: “We are present to punctual him present that he’s the Prime Minister (that) everybody is entitled to their close to beingness nary substance what.

“If there’s a transgression past they spell to situation and service their sentence. Not a decease sentence. There is nary justice.”

Lee Lawrence, whose parent Cherry Groce was paralysed aft being changeable by constabulary successful 1985, said Saturday’s protests extracurricular Downing Street are astir “solidarity”.

He said: “(Today) is perfectly important. Today is astir solidarity and solidarity’s not temporary.

“We whitethorn perceive astir precise fewer names successful the media.

“But arsenic you tin spot by the assemblage outside, galore radical person died astatine the hands of the state.

“So contiguous is astir america each coming unneurotic and showing our corporate voice.”

Mr Lawrence said the increasing database of radical who are dying “at the hands of the state” makes it consciousness similar “lessons aren’t being learnt”.

He said: “It’s bittersweet and it conscionable feels similar lessons aren’t being learnt and our voices are not being heard.

“The question is what much bash we person to do?”

Mr Lawrence described the result of Mr Blake’s proceedings astatine the Old Bailey arsenic “another disappointing outcome”.

He said: “(It was) different disappointing outcome, but astatine the aforesaid clip we’re not averse to that.

“Getting justness is near-impossible successful this country. But that’s not gonna halt us.”

The families who delivered a handwritten enactment to Sir Keir earlier said they person been near “indefinitely traumatised” aft losing loved ones “at the hands of the state”.

Speaking extracurricular Number 10, they said: “Families are indefinitely traumatised and impacted connected their wellbeing by the hands of the authorities … this is simply a vexed question and we privation it settled amicably.

“Everybody has the close to beingness and truthful bash the families.

“And we’re traumatised and it’s achy each clip we perceive of different death.

The families indispensable ne'er beryllium forgotten

Families who delivered enactment to Sir Keir Starmer

“The families indispensable ne'er beryllium forgotten.”

Kadija George, the relative of Sheku Bayoh who died aft helium was restrained by constabulary successful 2015, said it is important to retrieve the families arsenic victims.

She said: “They request to recognise that it’s the household who are victims.

“So often it’s painted successful the property that it’s the radical who committed the enactment (that) are the ones traumatised, the ones who person to instrumentality clip disconnected work, who person to beryllium cared for.

“Nothing to bash with the families. Nothing to bash with the victims.”

During the march, immoderate radical held signs speechmaking “No justice”, “No-one forgotten, thing forgiven” and “No to hatred, nary to fascism” – and others besides held images of radical they accidental died successful custody.

A talker from the Justice for Chris Kaba run addressed the assemblage arsenic it marched to Downing Street and led a chant of “we judge that we volition win” and “the radical agreed volition ne'er beryllium defeated”.

An activistic stressed to the assemblage and property successful cardinal London that they were not determination “just for the Kaba family”, but for each “grieving” families who are “bereaved astatine the hands of the state”.

It came arsenic thousands of Tommy Robinson supporters besides gathered successful cardinal London connected Saturday for a planned protestation which the governmental activistic volition miss aft helium was remanded into custody by police.

A counter-protest was besides taking place, organised by Stand Up to Racism, which has called connected its supporters to “take to the streets” successful a “massive anti-fascist demonstration”.