Police marksman cleared of shooting murder of Chris Kaba

The constabulary marksman who fatally changeable Chris Kaba has been cleared of his murder.

Martyn Blake, 40, stood proceedings astatine the Old Bailey aft shooting the 24-year-old done the beforehand windscreen of an Audi Q8 successful Streatham, south-east London, connected September 5 2022.

The assemblage deliberated for immoderate 3 hours connected Monday to wide Mr Blake who appeared to beryllium concisely flooded with emotion arsenic the verdict was returned.

He breathed out, puffed his cheeks and turned distant successful an evident amusement of relief.

The household of Mr Kaba, who sat successful the good of the court, sat successful stony soundlessness and made nary contiguous reaction.

The Audi had been utilized arsenic a getaway conveyance successful a shooting the erstwhile evening, and was hemmed successful by constabulary cars successful Kirkstall Gardens aft an serviceman recognised its registration number.

Mr Kaba drove backwards and forwards trying to ram his mode free, which Mr Blake told jurors made him judge 1 of his colleagues was astir to die, and truthful helium opened occurrence to halt the car.

A chap firearms serviceman known arsenic DS87 said helium would person taken a changeable if Mr Blake had not, and different identified by the cypher E156 said helium was “fractions of a second” distant from doing the same.

Another, NX109, got the digit of his mitt caught successful the Audi’s doorway grip and conscionable managed to wrench it escaped arsenic it moved forward, telling the assemblage helium thought helium would beryllium dragged betwixt it and a Tesla parked nearby.

Prosecutors argued that Mr Blake had misjudged the risk, exaggerated the menace to his colleagues successful statements pursuing the shooting, and had aimed astatine Mr Kaba’s head, each of which helium denied.

In his defence, jurors heard a bid of glowing testimonials from colleagues and elder officers.

Defence barrister Patrick Gibbs KC said Mr Blake was nary “RoboCop”with the “nanosecond” reactions of a computer.

He told jurors: “He is not a robot, helium is simply a quality being with a quality encephalon who did this to the champion of his ability.”

Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct volition present see whether Mr Blake should look a disciplinary hearing.

Questions person already been raised astir however firearms officers are held to relationship successful fatal shootings, with dozens of Mr Blake’s colleagues downing tools erstwhile helium was archetypal charged with murder.

Police bosses raised concerns that officers would nary longer beryllium consenting to unpaid to instrumentality connected firearms grooming owed to the levels of scrutiny that they could look if they had to instrumentality a fatal shot.

Mr Blake had ne'er fired a weapon astatine a quality being, oregon seen a weapon fired astatine a quality being, earlier the nighttime Mr Kaba died.

The assemblage heard that those adjacent to Mr Blake had been hesitant astir him becoming a constabulary marksman but that helium felt it was “the champion job” successful the Metropolitan Police.

Official figures amusement that successful England and Wales successful the twelvemonth to March 2023 determination were 18,395 constabulary firearms operations.

Police weapons were deliberately fired astatine 10 of these incidents, resulting successful 3 fatalities.