A Metropolitan Police firearms officer, Martyn Blake, accused of murdering Chris Kaba in a police shooting, awaits the verdict from the jury as they retire to consider the case. The prosecution argues that it was unnecessary for Blake to fire his gun after police had cornered the 24-year-old driver. They further claim that Blake’s account of the shooting was false in some parts and exaggerated in others.
Mr. Blake, aged 40, denies the accusation of killing Mr. Kaba during a police operation in Streatham, South London, on 5 September 2022. He maintains that he feared for his life and the safety of his fellow officer when Mr. Kaba attempted to flee the armed police stop by ramming a police car and reversing into another behind him.
During the trial at the Old Bailey, it was revealed that Mr. Kaba, who was unarmed, attempted to escape as he was aware that the police were tailing him. The prosecution stated that the Audi Q8 was moving at speeds of 8mph to 12mph when it collided with the vehicles surrounding it.
Prosecutor Tom Little KC highlighted “unassailable evidence” indicating that the shooting was not justified. He urged the jury to consider the discrepancies in Blake’s account, emphasising that some parts were false and others exaggerated. In response, defence barrister Patrick Gibbs KC argued that Blake, like any human, reacted to perceived danger in real-time and not as a computer would in a freeze frame.
Gibbs described Blake as a human being, not a robot like RoboCop, with split-second reactions. He stressed that the situation, initially intended to be controlled, quickly turned chaotic and potentially hazardous. The trial is ongoing, with further proceedings yet to unfold.