The more you crush cops’ spirit the harder it is to fight crime, says Met boss as cop is cleared of Chris Kaba’s murder

A GUN bull who changeable dormant a operator to halt him moving implicit colleagues was contiguous cleared of execution successful conscionable 3 hours.

Martyn Blake, 40, had been suspended for 2 years and spent 3 weeks successful court implicit the sidesplitting of Chris Kaba.

After the verdict, the caput of Britain’s biggest police unit warned: “The much we crush the tone of bully officers the little they tin combat crime.”

Met brag Sir Mark Rowley deed retired arsenic a assemblage acquitted the firearms officer.

Sir Mark added: “No constabulary serviceman is supra the law, but we person been wide that the strategy holding constabulary to relationship is broken.

“I interest astir the deficiency of enactment officers look for doing their best, but astir of each I interest for the public.”

Sgt Blake changeable unarmed dad-to-be Mr Kaba successful the head aft helium tried to ram his Audi Q8 retired of the constabulary trap successful September 2022.

 Old Bailey jurors heard the car had been flagged up pursuing a shooting successful Brixton the nighttime before.

The prosecution said the shooting was unjustified, and suggested Sgt Blake whitethorn person been “angry, frustrated and annoyed” due to the fact that Mr Kaba refused to comply.

But Sgt Blake told jurors helium fired arsenic helium feared a workfellow would beryllium killed by the Audi successful Streatham, South London.

Last nighttime the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and Crown Prosecution Service were accused of a “political prosecution” with flimsy evidence, amid assemblage tensions implicit the killing.

Ex-Met marksman Tony Long, cleared of execution implicit the 2005 shooting of Azelle Rodney, said of Sgt Blake’s case: “There was not a shred of evidence . . . it was a flawed prosecution. The lawsuit was weighed heavy against Martyn Blake.”

Sir Mark Rowley spoke of the interaction connected the lawsuit for the families of the serviceman and Mr Kaba.

He said: “Over the past 2 years Sgt Blake has paid a immense idiosyncratic and nonrecreational sacrifice.

“This has been an incredibly ­difficult clip for him and his household and helium has acted with professionalism and dignity throughout.

“This lawsuit has had an tremendous interaction connected many.

“Chris Kaba’s household and friends proceed to grieve the nonaccomplishment of a loved 1 and contiguous volition beryllium ­tremendously hard for them.”

Married dad-of-two Sgt Blake, described by colleagues arsenic “the precise other of a gung-ho equipped cop”, puffed his cheeks successful alleviation astatine the verdict.

 His suspension was instantly lifted. But helium whitethorn inactive suffer his occupation nether constabulary accountability rules.

The IOPC volition review whether disciplinary proceedings stay appropriate.

'Imminent menace to life'

Meanwhile, Mr Kaba’s family, including mum Helen Lumuanganu and dada Prosper Kaba, deed retired astatine the verdict. And past nighttime astatine slightest 125 protesters gathered extracurricular the tribunal to run against what they accidental was authorities violence.

The household said successful a statement: “The not blameworthy verdict leaves america with the heavy symptom of injustice adding to the unbearable sorrow we person felt since Chris was killed.

“No household should endure the unimaginable grief we person faced.

“Chris was stolen from us, and this determination shows his beingness — and galore others similar him — does not substance to the system. Our lad deserved better.”

The household said they would proceed “fighting for Chris, for justice, and for existent change”.

Temi Mwale, of the Justice for Chris Kaba campaign, added: “Within 12 seconds of the enforced stop, Martyn Blake changeable Chris successful the forehead. None of america privation to unrecorded successful a nine wherever the constabulary tin termination with impunity.”

On the nighttime Mr Kaba was changeable done the Audi’s windscreen, equipped officers had been briefed astir a “gang ride-out and caller threats to beingness being issued”.

An equipped effect squad spotted the Audi successful adjacent Camberwell and pursued astatine a distance. Other mobile units joined to signifier a convoy of 5 constabulary cars tailing the Audi.

Sgt Blake was among cops successful a BMW, codenamed Foxtrot, waiting successful Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham.

He had been owed to articulation the backmost of the convoy but Mr Kaba turned into the broadside street. The BMW moved guardant to artifact the Audi arsenic a constabulary Volvo pulled up behind.

Jurors heard however Mr Kaba tried to ram his mode betwixt Sgt Blake’s BMW and a parked Tesla.

He past reversed with wheels spinning arsenic officers connected ft surrounded the Audi.

Sgt Blake told the assemblage helium opened occurrence with his SIG Sauer MCX, insisting helium had not meant to kill.

 The serviceman said: “I had a genuine content determination was an imminent menace to life, I thought 1 oregon much of my colleagues was astir to die. I thought I was the lone 1 with firearms screen astatine the time.

“I changeable conscionable supra the steering wheel, which I felt was the top accidental of hitting the cardinal assemblage wide of the driver.”

Prosecutor Tom Little alleged Sgt Blake had nary request to sprout arsenic Mr Kaba was not posing a threat.

Mr Little said the Audi was stationary, with its reverse lights on, and Mr Kaba had his hands connected the steering wheel.

A succession of constabulary witnesses giving grounds for the prosecution told however they were successful fearfulness of their lives from Mr Kaba’s car.

One suggested helium would person opened occurrence too.

Other constabulary witnesses told however they had ne'er seen Sgt Blake suffer his temper. Defence barrister Patrick Gibbs said the firearms serviceman was “no RoboCop with the nanosecond reactions”.

At the verdict, Judge Mr Justice Goss denied the assemblage support to marque a connection to the court.

Meanwhile, Tory enactment hopeful Robert Jenrick described Sgt Blake arsenic “a leader who recovered himself fearing for his beingness and the beingness of his colleagues.”

He added: “His prosecution was incorrect and endangered the public.

“The ordeal helium has gone through, unthinkable. We indispensable backmost our brave constabulary and not resistance them done the courts for making split-second decisions.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was imperative the jury’s determination was respected, adding everyone should beryllium fixed the abstraction to process the verdict.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I recognize the interaction Chris Kaba’s decease has had connected London’s communities and the anger, symptom and fearfulness it has caused. There’s intelligibly inactive a wider deficiency of spot successful the police, peculiarly successful the achromatic community, that needs to beryllium addressed.”

The CPS defended their determination to prosecute, saying the lawsuit met its ineligible tests.

The IOPC’s Amanda Rowe said the transgression investigation and referral to the CPS “followed cautious information of a important magnitude of evidence”.