Chris Kaba shooting: Martyn Blake named as murder-accused police officer

Chris Kaba died from a single gunshot wound

A Metropolitan Police firearms officer named for the first time as Martyn Blake has pleaded not guilty to murdering Chris Kaba.

Mr Kaba, 24, died from a single gunshot wound in a Met operation in Streatham, south London, in September 2022.

Mr Blake, 40, had been known by the codename NX121 after threats were made against him but a judge has decided he can now be named.

The officer was given bail ahead of a trial that is set to begin in October.

Judge Mark Lucraft lifted the anonymity order after media organisations, including the BBC, challenged the legal application to protect his identity, on the basis that confidence in the criminal justice system requires cases to be held, wherever possible, in public.

Appearing at the Old Bailey, Mr Blake spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and to enter his plea.

Mr Kaba was driving in Streatham on the night of 5 September 2022 when he was stopped by police in two cars.

In the moments that followed, Mr Kaba was shot in the head through the car windscreen. He died in the early hours of the following day.

Mr Kaba died in hospital after being shot during a Met Police operation

In his judgment on naming Mr Blake, Mr Justice Lucraft said that significant information had emerged about a threat to his safety in the aftermath of the shooting.

He examined "raw underlying intelligence" about the threat, to enable him to make the decision about whether the officer should be allowed to remain anonymous.

He said that as the trial approached, attempts might be made to find out more about Mr Blake and he had considered whether there was a "real and immediate" threat to the officer's life or to his family.

Mr Justice Lucraft concluded: "In my judgment, the naming of the defendant, or the giving of his date of birth, does not give rise to a real and immediate risk to his life."

Restrictions on publishing pictures of the officer or his address will remain in place.

Previously, police officers facing serious criminal charges have been named in court and the media has been able to report their names.

'Difficult and dangerous job'

Speaking outside court, Anita Sharmar, a caseworker for the charity Inquest which is representing Mr Kaba's family, welcomed the judge's decision to lift the anonymity order.

"In any other murder trial the accused would be publicly named; this case should be no different," she said.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Federation secretary Rick Prior said the organisation was "hugely shocked, saddened and concerned" about the naming of Mr Blake.

"Our police officers must have full confidence that they have the protection needed to do this difficult and dangerous job society expects of them," he said.

Mr Prior added: "Being a firearms officer in London is one of the world's toughest jobs."

After Mr Blake was charged, some Metropolitan Police firearms officers stepped back from their duties in protest.

At one point the BBC was told up to 300 armed officers had turned in their firearms permits allowing them to carry weapons, out of a total of about 2,500 armed officers in the Met.

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