London gang places ‘£10,000 bounty’ on Met Police marksman after Chris Kaba trial
A London gang has placed a “£10,000 bounty” on the Met Police officer who shot Chris Kaba dead following a trial which cleared him for murder.
Martyn Blake, 40, has fled his home after a gang of criminals put a bounty on his head to avenge the 24-year-old, who was fatally shot by police in south London in 2022.
It was claimed that those associated with the gang were “seeking to kill a police officer in retribution for Kaba’s death”, according to a pre-trial court hearing.
The Met received several intelligence reports, with one detailing that “a large sum of money was being offered” by a gang who sought to harm Blake or his family, with a separate report specifying £10,000 if individuals shared the officer’s personal details, including any addresses and vehicle registration marks.
From this intelligence, police reached the conclusion that “the likelihood of consequences following the identification of the officer is very high”.
Superintendent Ross McKibbin said: “In nearly 30 years of service, I have never been more concerned about the welfare of an officer or the likelihood of them or their family coming to serious harm as I am about [Chris Kaba].”
Following the outcome of the trial, further information about Kaba’s background and previous criminal activity was revealed, as it was disclosed that Kaba was allegedly a “core member” of the “67 gang”, a drill rap group, based in Brixton Hill.
His previous criminal convictions, which came to light earlier this week, included an indictment for a trial that led to three individuals being found guilty of a number of offences when they shot a rival gang member in a Hackney nightclub, in the days leading up to his death.
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Kaba was killed in the driver’s seat of an Audi Q8, surrounded by police officers, which was later suspected of serving as a getaway car from a shooting that Kaba was allegedly involved in the day before.
However, the deceased’s previous criminal activity was not mentioned during the murder trial – which concluded on Monday – since the judge, Justice Goss, ruled the details as irrelevant to the case.
Following the trial’s end on Monday, the Old Bailey closed early as approximately 200 individuals congregated to protest, throwing abuse towards police officers.
Justice Goss lifted reporting restrictions so that the media were permitted to report on Kaba’s alleged involvement in two shootings in east London.
Blake is now set to attend a hearing conducted by the Independent Office of Police Conduct, despite his acquittal at the Old Bailey earlier this week.
Advising that the legal system must change, former Met Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe said: “It does seem as though the system doesn’t give [officers] the benefit of doubt that was given by the jury in this case.
“I do wonder if ministers will consider how the legal system can give the benefit of the doubt to these brave men and women who, on our behalf, in a matter of a fraction of a second have to make the most awful decision.”
The National Police Chiefs’ Council is said to have requested that the Government make it more challenging to find police officers guilty of unlawful killing at inquests, as well as permitting the right for the defendant to be anonymous until a verdict has been reached, if they have been charged with an offence while on duty.