The jury in the trial of the police marksman who shot Chris Kaba dead were blocked by the judge from making a public statement on the case, it has emerged.
Martyn Blake was cleared at the Old Bailey on Monday of murdering the 24-year-old during a police stop in Streatham, South London, on September 5, 2022.
Before the jury delivered its not guilty verdict, members had sent a note to Mr Justice Goss asking for permission also to pass comment but this was denied.
Following speculation about what the jury might have said, the media, supported by a lawyer for Mr Kaba’s family, asked the judge to release the note – but he refused.
Mystery therefore surrounds what the jury wanted to say – and whether the note actually contained a statement, or just a request for permission to say something.
Chris Kaba was shot through the windscreen of a car in South London on September 5, 2022
Protesters gather outside London’s Old Bailey after the Chris Kaba case concluded on Monday
Anger has been sparked on all sides following Sergeant Blake’s acquittal in just over three hours by the jury of nine men and three women.
And Mr Kaba’s family tried to stop the press from revealing full details of the rapper and gang member’s criminality and violent past.
His mother Helen Lumuanganu had applied for her son’s background to remain secret until a jury inquest into his death could be held.
The family argued that if details of his gang connections and gun violence were known it could prejudice future proceedings, which are not expected to take place for at least a year.
Media organisations opposed the move, pointing out that many details had already been reported and there was a high public interest.
And reporting restrictions were lifted yesterday, with the Daily Mail revealing details of Mr Kaba’s past including that he was one of London’s most feared gangsters with a shocking history of violence.
Chris Kaba is seen sat inside an Audi Q8 in Streatham, South London, on September 5, 2022
The police bodycam footage from multiple angles shows chaotic scenes as Mr Kaba was shot
Mr Kaba’s vehicle was hemmed in by marked and unmarked police cars during the incident
A shot is heard in the video before someone shouts ‘right we’ve got shots fired, shots fired’
The footage shows armed officers running towards Mr Kaba’s car which was hemmed in
Ahead of this, the Metropolitan Police were so concerned about the impact of the public being kept in the dark about Mr Kaba’s background that Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy wrote to the judge warning him it could cause civil unrest.
On Monday evening after the not guilty verdict, protests in opposition to the jury’s decision were held outside the Old Bailey, fighting for ‘Justice For Chris Kaba’.
The next day, Mr Justice Goss announced his decision to allow reporting of Mr Kaba’s gang member status, previous convictions and alleged direct involvement in two shootings days before his death.
From the start, members of the media had faced a number of legal battles for permission to report fully on the trial of Sergeant Blake and Mr Kaba’s background.
When the officer was first charged in September last year, he was referred to only by the cypher NX121, but was named in January following legal representations by various media organisations.
Journalists successfully argued that defendants charged with murder are normally publicly named, as a key part of a transparent justice system.
Opponents had raised concern for Sergeant Blake’s safety and extra security was put in place to protect him at subsequent court appearances.
Later an order was put in place under section 4(2) of the Contempt of Court Act preventing the naming of Mr Kaba in the trial of other men over a shooting at a nightclub in Hackney, East London.
The alleged gunman, Mr Kaba, therefore could not be named in reporting of the trial, and none of the key CCTV evidence could be made public.
A separate order was put in place in the run up to Sergeant Blake’s trial, that detailed the so-called ‘bad character’ evidence relating to Mr Kaba, including the nightclub shooting which allegedly saw him shoot a man in both legs.
Grabs from footage of Mr Kaba (marked in blue) who opened fire with a gun (circled in pink) inside a nightclub in East London six days before his death
Just six days before his death, Mr Kaba (in blue) brazenly gunned down a rival in the middle of a crowded nightclub during a bloody feud for control of a profitable county lines drug networkÂ
Kaba started blasting at Brandon Malutshi, chasing him outside the Oval Space Club in Hackney, with one of the bullets hitting him in the leg
Had he not been killed, Mr Kaba would have stood trial at the Old Bailey for the attempted murder of Mr Malutshi who miraculously survived the nightclub shooting on August 30, 2022Â
Grabs from footage of Mr Kaba (marked in blue) who opened fire with a gun inside a nightclub
The video was released as Mr Kaba was revealed to have been a core member of one of London’s most dangerous gangs
More information about his previous convictions and firearms incidents linked to the Audi that he was driving were all kept from the jury on the grounds that they were not relevant to the issues in the case.
It was successfully argued that Sergeant Blake knew nothing of Mr Kaba’s link to earlier shootings and had no idea who was at the wheel of the Audi when he opened fire.
Accusations that the prosecution presented an overly-positive image of the victim to the jury held no sway in the argument for them to be told of Mr Kaba’s activities and gang connections.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Blake has had to flee his home after criminals put a £10,000 bounty on his head in revenge for the shooting. Insiders say the firearms officer is now ‘living in a nightmare’, fearing that Mr Kaba’s associates will kill those he loves.
In order to protect Sergeant Blake, the judge ordered a ban on any mention of his address, the publication of any photograph or even a description of what the officer looks like will remain in perpetuity after he was acquitted of murder.
Forensics officers at the shooting scene in Streatham, South London, on September 6, 2022
It comes as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to revive and complete a probe into how firearms police officers who take fatal shots in the line of duty are held to account.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer would not be drawn into commenting on the jury decision in the trial, but told reporters his Government would pick up the accountability review launched by the previous Tory administration.
Suella Braverman pledged to review the ways that firearms officers who take fatal shots are held accountable when she was home secretary in 2023.
Plans to give swifter decisions to suspended officers and more clarity to victims were among the changes touted by the previous government. Tory ministers also considered raising the threshold for referring firearms officers for prosecution.
