Sadiq Khan refuses to apologise to Met marksman acquitted of Chris Kaba shooting

London politician Sadiq Khan repeatedly refused to apologise to a Met firearms serviceman acquitted of Chris Kaba’s murder.

Kaba was changeable dormant by Sergeant Martyn Blake arsenic helium tried to ram his car past constabulary cars during a constabulary halt successful Streatham, southbound London, connected September 5, 2022.

Mr Khan was enactment nether unit astatine the London Assembly connected Thursday for being “too sympathetic” towards the drill rapper, 24, whose convulsive past was revealed aft Sgt Blake was past period recovered not blameworthy of his murder.

It emerged that Kaba was a “core member” of the notorious “67 gang” successful Brixton Hill, with a past of transgression enactment including a jailhouse word for possession of a firearm.

Susan Hall, the Tory erstwhile mayoral candidate, demanded to cognize wherefore Mr Khan had described Kaba arsenic a “young beingness chopped short” 2 years agone earlier an Old Bailey assemblage cleared Mr Blake successful 3 hours “with nary of the accusation you had”.

She said: “My disapproval is of you. You are a leader, good you’re expected to beryllium a leader. You are the Mayor of London and you are besides the constabulary and transgression commissioner.

“And yet you were putting retired things successful a one-sided mode close from the beginning. That constabulary serviceman and his colleagues had to perceive to that the full time, precise galore of them knowing the background.

“Very galore achromatic families knew the inheritance to this person. Yet you sent retired thing but sympathy, yes to the parents - I tin judge that erstwhile oregon twice. If you thought it was truthful right, I don’t cognize wherefore you took your comments disconnected the website.”

Mr Khan denied thing had been deleted from his societal media account.

But Ms Hall responded: “My presumption is you should instrumentality a much equilibrium approached from the beginning.

“You should beryllium much supportive or, if not, conscionable support quiet. Would you similar to apologise to the constabulary serviceman who has been recovered not guilty? Would you similar to apologise for the full cognition close from the beginning?”

Mr Khan said: “Can I enactment connected grounds my acknowledgment to each our firearm officers who bash an incredibly hard occupation nether bonzer circumstances and pressures.”

Ms Hall asked him again to accidental atrocious and accused the politician of “waffle, waffle, waffle”, adding: “I asked you a precise elemental question.”

When she accused Mr Khan of “sounding similar a parrot”, helium scolded her for descending the statement into abuse.

Father-to-be Kaba was changeable done the windscreen of an Audi Q8 by Mr Blake, 40.

The conveyance was straight linked to 3 shootings successful 5 months and Kaba would person stood proceedings for the attempted execution of a rival astatine Hackney’s Oval Space nightclub had helium survived.

Mr Blake is said to beryllium surviving successful hiding, fearing for his beingness and his family, aft a £10,000 bounty was offered successful revenge for Kaba’s decease to anyone prepared to termination him.

Kaba’s household vowed to proceed their run successful his name.

Scotland Yard main Sir Mark Rowley called for greater empathy for firearms officers similar Sgt Blake and the relation they bash confronting unsafe criminals.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said connected Thursday: “Having regular coffees with Martyn Blake implicit caller months, I’ve been astounded by his idiosyncratic resilience and dignity with what the satellite has thrown astatine him and his household which has turned his beingness upside down.

“Making this astir contention is unsafe and unhelpful conversation. I wish, and Martyn Blake wishes, that Chris Kaba’s behaviour hadn’t caused the confrontation it did that nighttime and helium had spent the adjacent 10 oregon 20 years successful prison.”