Firearms officer Martyn Blake has been found not guilty of the murder of a notorious London gang member, but is now living in fear of his own life.

The 40-year-old Sgt Blake shot dead Chris Kaba, who was unarmed, during a police vehicle stop in Streatham, in the south of the capital in September 2022, when he believed one of his colleagues was about to be seriously injured, or killed by Mr Kaba.

A jury at the Old Bailey heard that Mr Kaba was wanted in connection with a shooting and police had become aware of his location; they had then boxed in his car which he used as a battering ram against officers after refusing to give himself up.

Mr Blake said he instinctively opened fire to stop the driver and after just three hours of deliberation the jurors unanimously cleared him of any guilt. 

They were not aware of the violent past of the deceased man when making their decision, but afterwards Mr Justice Goss lifted restrictions barring the reporting of it and Mr Kaba was revealed as a 24-year-old convicted gangster and a key player in the 67 gang – one of the most feared in London.

Mr Kaba was wanted for his alleged involvement in two separate shootings in the six days leading up to his death and during pre-trial legal submissions there were warnings that those with links to his gang were seeking to kill a police officer in retribution. 

The officer, who is now in hiding, still faces a misconduct charges, which sparked fury amongst his colleagues who insist that he was simply doing the job he was paid to do.

Getaway vehicle

The police did not know who was driving an Audi on the night of 5 September 2022 in Streatham, but they did know it had been used as a getaway car in a shooting in Brixton, south London, the previous day.

An automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) marker had been placed on the car, which alerted officers to it. They followed him in force and were able to trap his vehicle in a joint exercise.

One single shot

With no intention of giving himself up, Mr Kaba tried to force his way through, repeatedly driving into the police patrols, unconcerned with the dangers of his actions.

Mr Blake opened fire to stop the car, genuinely fearing for the welfare of his fellow officers. This resulted in the death of Mr Kaba from a single gunshot wound to the forehead.

Acted within the law

Under the law, every armed police officer is personally responsible for their actions. Officers cannot use more force than is necessary to neutralise a threat; so if one of them shoots, a decision has to be made afterwards whether that it is considered justifiable, or a criminal act.

Essentially, they are allowed by law to open fire if they absolutely believe that they need to protect themselves, their colleagues, or the public.

“Lives not valued”

When news of the not-guilty verdict reached black communities in south London it was met with disgust, but also a belief that it was inevitable.

Mr Kaba’s famiy are devastated at the acquittal verdict and have stated that in their eyes it represented not just a failure for them, but also for “all those affected by police violence” and was “painful proof that our lives are not valued by the system.”

Gunman on the run

Once the trial concluded however, reporting restrictions – which had been preventing the media from publishing details of Mr Kaba’s criminal past – were lifted.

These unveiled a man with previous convictions for affray and having an imitation firearm dating back to his early teen years. Much more relevant to the case he was named as the gunman in a nightclub shooting days before he died.

Shot rival twice

He reportedly shot a man from a rival gang in both legs at the Oval Space nightclub in Tower Hamlets, east London, on 30 August 2022; initially on the dance floor, and then again outside as the man tried to make his escape.

Three other men have already been convicted over their involvement in the shooting and are currently in prison, serving sentences of between 5 and 10 years.

Full backing from colleagues

An unnamed colleague of Mr Blake who was at the scene immediately after the shots were fired, backed his colleague saying: “At no point was there any evidence that Martyn Blake had done anything wrong, or deviated from his training, or indeed the law.”

Continuing he stressed that the officer was the “most professional, assiduous, diligent police officer you will come across and he should never have been put in this position.”

He then pointed out that: “the state put him there that night and the state trained him to do the fearsome thing that he had to do, and he should never have been named in the media.”

Federation slams decision to prosecute

The Metropolitan Police Federation backed that belief by making a statement which said Mr Blake “should never have stood trial” and it was “astonished that a brave colleague could be charged with murder, doing the job that society expects of him.”

Defending their decision to prosecute, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that it had been made “after an in-depth consideration of all the available evidence.”

Life never same again

Sadly for Martyn Blake it has left his life in ruins. Although he will receive anonymity, he is under armed protection – as he has been throughout his three-week trial – and his children have already been moved from their school.

Sgt Blake’s counsel Patrick Gibbs KC cited an intelligence report which suggested that a bounty of £10,000 had been placed in return for information on his address and vehicle registration.

“Never been so concerned”

Superintendent Ross McKibbin of the Met’s counter-terrorism command, added that in his near 30 years of service, he has “never been more concerned about the welfare of an officer.”

An ex-colleague observed that the officer will now “be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life.”

Still could lose job

Additional to the incredible stresses endured since being charged, Sgt Blake is still under investigation from the Independent Office for Police Conduct, who are reviewing whether the officer should face gross misconduct charges – which could see him lose his job; irrespective of the not-guilty verdict.

After the initial charge was brought, hundreds of fellow officers reportedly turned in their weapons permits in a show of support for their colleague, something Sgt Bnlake possibly now wishes he had done prior to September 2022.