08 March 2024 , 09:49
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An armed police officer charged with the murder of Chris Kaba can finally be named today after a protracted legal battle saw a judge lift a court order granting him anonymity .
Martyn Blake, 40, can be named publicly for the first time as the police marksman accused of fatally shooting the 24-year-old dad-to-be in Streatham, south-west London, on September 5 2022. An inquest has previously heard the unarmed Black man was killed by a single bullet to the head fired after Met Police officers followed the car he was driving in an unmarked vehicle with no lights or sirens.
Expectant dad Mr Kaba's car was boxed in by officers in Kirkstall Gardens after they'd tailed him for 15 minutes following a high speed chase. In the aftermath of his death, Mr Kaba's family have also claimed a Rolex watch he was wearing at the time had gone missing.
The murder charge in September last year came after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Recorder of London Mark Lucraft KC ruled in October last year that the Met marksman– previously only referred to as NX121 in all court hearings – would be identified ahead of a criminal trial at the Old Bailey in September this year.
Officers conducting a finger tip search at the scene of Mr Kaba's murder (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)Judge Lucraft said that the officer’s name and date of birth would be made public, but that their home address or any image of them cannot be published. In his ruling, the judge said he had viewed “raw underlying intelligence material” before coming to the conclusion there was not a “real and immediate risk” to the life of the defendant or to his family.
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Forty-year-old Mr Blake attended Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 21 last year charged with murder. A statement said: "The charging decision was made by the CPS following a referral from the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The officer remains suspended from duty. Misconduct matters will be considered at the conclusion of the criminal proceedings."
In a joint statement, the family of Mr Kaba said they "welcomed" the charging decision. They said: "Chris was so very loved by our family and all his friends. He had a bright future ahead of him, but his life was cut short.
Mr Kaba's family Prosper and Helen Kaba arriving at court in September 2023 (Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)"Our family and our wider community must see justice for Chris. Now we await the trial of the firearms officer without delay and hope and pray that justice will be served."
An inquest at Inner South London Coroner's Court in October 2022 heard the father-to-be's Audi was blocked by a police car. There was 'contact' between the two vehicles before a marksman fired a single shot through the windscreen.
The court heard the bullet hit Mr Kaba, who was not being treated as a suspect at the time, in the head. The vehicle had been linked by police to a firearms incident the previous day. When news of Mr Kaba's killing emerged it sparked outrage in the capital, prompting protests and demonstrations by campaigners.
Mr Kaba's cousin Jefferson Bosela reads a statement outside Inner South London Coroner's Court (PA)Tributes were paid to Mr Kaba, known to his friends as Mad Itch. He was expecting his first child. The musician was a member of rap group 67, who were nominated for Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards back in 2016.
The month after his death, his family, who live in Wembley, north west London, marched to Downing Street as part of the United Friends and Families Campaign led by activist Marcia Rigg. In a letter, they demanded an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the judicial process following state-related deaths.