Met officer who shot unarmed man will face disciplinary hearing - watchdog

The Metropolitan police armed officer cleared of murdering Chris Kaba should face a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct, where he could face the sack for using excessive force, the police watchdog has decided.

- Vikram Dodd

The decision will provoke fury among Met firearms officers and among the force's leadership.

Kaba was unarmed when he was shot once in the head through the windscreen of a car he was driving by Martyn Blake, then a sergeant, in south London in September 2022.

Kaba was a violent criminal caught on CCTV months earlier shooting a man in an east London nightclub. He was an alleged "core member" of the 67 gang. Blake did not know this when he opened fire but testified that he feared the car Kaba was driving would run over officers after it was boxed in by police.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) made the decision that Blake should face a gross misconduct hearing despite pressure to drop the case.

There have been months of behind-the-scenes wrangling between the IOPC and the Met, which opposes the decision. In the end, the police watchdog used its legal powers to direct that a hearing be held.

Blake has been promoted to inspector since his unanimous acquittal in about three hours by an Old Bailey jury, and returned to work after a two-year suspension.