Officer 'filled with dread' before Kaba shooting

A Metropolitan Police firearms serviceman accused of murdering Chris Kaba has told a tribunal helium was "filled with dread" and thought 1 of his colleagues could person died.

Martyn Blake changeable the unarmed 24-year-old successful the caput during a constabulary halt successful Streatham, southbound London, successful September 2022.

He denies murder.

Giving grounds astatine his trial, Mr Blake told the assemblage astatine the Old Bailey that helium had had a “duty to protect” his chap officers connected the nighttime of the constabulary stop.

Mr Kaba’s household were successful the courtroom to perceive the constabulary marksman’s evidence.

When asked by defence barrister Patrick Gibbs KC wherefore his pulled the trigger, Mr Blake, 41, said: "I had a genuine content that 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 idiosyncratic with effectual firearms screen astatine the time.

"If I hadn't acted I thought 1 of my colleagues would beryllium dead. I felt I had a work to support them astatine the time."

The tribunal heard that Mr Blake joined the Metropolitan Police successful 2008 and applied to beryllium a firearms serviceman successful 2015.

“It struck maine arsenic a challenging relation with a challenging course. It was a precise bully people and a thoroughly bully job. Best occupation successful Metropolitan Police, moving with the champion colleagues," helium said.