Officer who shot Chris Kaba did nothing wrong, says colleague

A firearms serviceman cleared of murdering Chris Kaba should ne'er person been enactment connected trial, a erstwhile workfellow of his has told the BBC.

Metropolitan Police serviceman Martyn Blake, 40, fatally changeable Mr Kaba - who was not carrying a weapon - during a conveyance halt successful Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham, successful September 2022.

The unnamed colleague, who was astatine the country instantly aft the shots were fired, said: "At nary constituent was determination immoderate grounds that Martyn Blake had done thing incorrect oregon astatine slightest deviated from his grooming oregon so the law."

The Crown Prosecution Service has defended its determination to bring Mr Blake to trial.

It said the determination to prosecute had been made "after an in-depth information of each the disposable evidence".

About 150 radical gathered for a vigil extracurricular the Old Bailey connected Monday aft jurors returned their verdict.

Mr Kaba's relative Sheeda Queen said the household was "devastated" by the outcome.

"The acquittal of Martyn Blake isn't conscionable a nonaccomplishment for our household but for each those affected by constabulary violence," she said. "Despite the verdict, we won't beryllium silenced."

Mr Blake's erstwhile colleague, who asked not to beryllium named and has since near the force, told the BBC's Today programme that helium believed a strategy akin to Army tribunal martials would beryllium much due for cases specified arsenic this.

"Martyn is the astir professional, assiduous, diligent constabulary serviceman you volition travel crossed and helium should ne'er person been enactment successful this position," helium said.

"He was connected Kirkstall Gardens that nighttime connected behalf of the state. The authorities enactment Martyn Blake determination that nighttime and the authorities trained him to bash the fearsome happening that helium had to bash and helium should ne'er person been named successful the media."

The erstwhile officer, who was portion of Met's MO19 specializer firearms command, said helium had administered archetypal assistance astatine the country and been progressive successful procedures that followed the shooting.

Mr Kaba, 24, had been followed and stopped by constabulary due to the fact that the car helium was driving had been linked to a erstwhile shooting successful Brixton.

After being boxed successful by constabulary cars, helium drove his conveyance backwards and forwards arsenic helium tried to ram his mode free.

Mr Blake told the proceedings that helium had believed 1 of his colleagues would beryllium killed and helium opened occurrence to halt the car.

Mr Kaba died from a azygous gunshot coiled to the forehead.

Mr Blake's workfellow said constabulary officers were not supra the instrumentality but incidents similar these should not beryllium dealt with successful transgression courts, wherever juries had the powerfulness to wide oregon convict defendants.

He said: "I deliberation it's important they are viewed arsenic afloat accountable to the instrumentality and successful beforehand of the public. However, determination is simply a occupation erstwhile constabulary officers are scrutinised by radical who don't needfully recognize the pressures and the issues involved.

"I bash wonderment if determination is thing much akin to the tribunal martial strategy that we spot successful the subject that would beryllium a amended acceptable for incidents similar this, wherever we person a sheet of ineligible experts, a sheet of taxable substance experts that we tin telephone on."

He said that portion Mr Kaba had been recovered not to person had a gun, describing him arsenic having been unarmed was "problematic".

"It implies that Mr Kaba was presenting nary menace to the officers who were dealing with the incidental connected that nighttime and evidently the tribunal heard thing precise different," helium said.

"The lawsuit of the defence was fundamentally that Mr Kaba was equipped with a 2.5 tonne high-powered Audi which could perfectly person presented a lethal menace to the officers involved."

• Listen to In Court: Chris Kaba Killing - Police Officer connected Trial doubly play connected BBC Sounds

Describing the jury's verdict arsenic the "right decision", helium said: "There was nary disposable oregon audible glee by anyone I saw successful the courtroom, anyone connected to policing oregon connected to Martyn.

"There was conscionable an acceptance that the close happening had happened and the close result had been achieved. There are nary winners successful this concern and determination were nary winners successful the courtroom yesterday."

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told BBC Breakfast that the "due process of the law" had taken spot and this should beryllium "respected".

But she acknowledged the proceedings had thrown up issues of spot some successful achromatic communities and wrong the police.

"The occupation that firearms officers bash is very, precise hard and we bash inquire those officers and others successful nationalist information roles to instrumentality the astir hard decisions to support each of america safe," she said.

"We bash person to deliberation astir however we physique assurance successful the policing assemblage astir their quality to get connected with the occupation that we each request them to do, but besides among our communities arsenic well... determination is intelligibly a equilibrium to beryllium struck."