Met Police marksman may have been ‘angry’ and ‘annoyed’ when he shot Chris Kaba dead, trial hears

Published

6 months ago

October 2, 2024

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A police marksman may have been “angry, frustrated and annoyed” when he shot Chris Kaba dead after he tried to escape, a court has heard.

Martyn Blake, 40, is on trial at the Old Bailey, where he denies murdering the 24-year-old in Streatham, south London.

Mr Kaba was sitting in the driver’s seat of a dark Audi with both hands on the steering wheel when he was shot once in the head on the night of 5 September 2022, a jury was told.

The car’s registration had been linked to a firearms incident after reports a man had been seen with a shotgun the previous evening and gunshots were heard in Brixton, the court heard.

Prosecutor Tom Little KC said Mr Kaba had tried to drive away from officers, hitting a police vehicle in an attempt to escape, but did nothing in the seconds before he was shot to justify Blake’s decision to pull the trigger.

“What he was thinking at the time only he knows,” the barrister told jurors.

“But you may want to consider in this case whether the requests that were made to Chris Kaba by the police, that he did not obey, caused the defendant to become angry, frustrated and annoyed.”

Metropolitan Police marksman Blake, who was previously known as NX121, did not know Mr Kaba, whose mother became visibly upset and was comforted by a relative as the case against the officer was opened.

The court heard on the evening of 4 September police were called to reports of gunshots in Brixton and that a man had been seen with a shotgun, while three men wearing dark hoodies had changed their clothes and got into two vehicles before driving away.

A registration number given for one of the vehicles was the same as the Audi Mr Kaba was driving the following night and a firearms “marker”, flagging the vehicle should police spot it, had been placed on the car, the jury was told.

Mr Little said the decision for armed police to stop the vehicle was “eminently reasonable and sensible”.

Jurors were shown a compilation of footage from police vehicles and body-worn cameras, as well as a computer generated reconstruction of the events.

In the footage, a police car can be seen blocking the path of Mr Kaba’s Audi as it turns into Kirkstall Gardens followed by an unmarked police car and two other marked vehicles.

The Audi moves back a short distance, making light contact with the car behind, then moves forward, colliding with the police vehicle and a parked Tesla in a “concerted attempt” to escape, including wheelspins, as an officer tries to smash the windows.

The Audi is surrounded by armed police officers as the unmarked police car moves forward to stop the Audi, which reverses and makes contact.

But Mr Little said officers were able to safely step away, adding: “Although this was a difficult and potentially challenging situation, at least at first, it was not as difficult and life-threatening as the defendant claims.”

He said “there can be no doubt” the armed officer intended to “incapacitate and, we say, to kill” Mr Kaba, and at “the heart of the case” was the decision-making of one man.

The prosecutor asked the jury: “Was this a case of mistaken belief as to risk or, as we say, was this an unlawful decision to shoot and to kill?”

“It was a decision to shoot which was taken when, we say, the unassailable evidence of what actually took place that night reveals that it was not reasonably justified or justifiable,” Mr Little said.

The immediate risk to Blake and his fellow officers didn’t justify firing a bullet into Mr Kaba’s head “at the point when the trigger was pulled”, the prosecutor added.

He said that in Mr Kaba’s driving forwards towards a police vehicle blocking his path there “was an element of initial danger”, but he only drove backwards a short distance before he was killed and no officers were knocked down or injured.

It was not obvious there was room for Mr Kaba to escape and if he had managed to get away, he could’ve been followed by police vehicles and the helicopter hovering in the sky, the jury was told.

“There was no real or immediate threat to the life of anybody present at the scene and at the all-important point in time when the defendant fired that fatal shot,” he added.

The trial, which is expected to last for up to three weeks, continues.

UK

It’s become almost impossible to book a driving test, instructors say

Published

41 mins ago

April 5, 2025

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It's become almost impossible to book a driving test, instructors say

It has become almost impossible to book a driving test on the government website due to bots on the booking system, driving instructors have told Sky News.

The only official way to book a practical car driving test is through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website.

New test slots are released by the DVSA at 6am every Monday, but “no matter how fast I am, there’s nothing available”, said Aman Sanghera, a driving instructor based in west London.

When asked about the cause, she said: “All of the tests are taken by bots, they are definitely taking over the booking system.”

In this context, bots are automated software designed to mimic human behaviour and programmed to carry out actions like searching for and reserving driving test appointments on the official government website much faster than humans can.

Individuals and companies use bots to block-book driving test slots and then resell them at a profit, which is not illegal, although it is a violation of the DVSA’s terms of use.

Recent data shows the DVSA has closed over 800 business accounts for misuse of its booking service in the past two years.

Ms Sanghera, who has been in the trade for over a decade, said the usage of bots started a few months ago “but is now getting out of hand”.

She said: “I’ve actually heard about driving instructors being approached by certain individuals to then take on their IDs to log in and to run this scam.

“I struggle to actually book a test for my students, which means that by the time my students are logging in, they’ve got no chance.”

Driving instructors can book driving tests on behalf of their pupils using a dedicated service, allowing them to bypass the general queue and potentially secure test slots more efficiently.

As a result, Ms Sanghera said students are “forced to go to third-party sites” to secure “the same test dates which are then available later on during the day at a premium rate of like £200-£300”.

She added: “Given that the DVSA is a government-regulated body, one would expect a more robust and fair system to ensure affordability and accessibility for all candidates.”

The standard test fee is £62, offered by the DVSA, which is responsible for carrying out driving tests in Great Britain.

The biggest concern for the driving instructors Sky News has spoken to, including Ms Sanghera, is “the fact that students are being exploited”.

When Ahmed Ali struggled to find a practical test on the DVSA website, he turned to third-party sites – a decision he now regrets.

He said: “I’ve spent about £650 on driving tests, and I’ve sat zero tests. I’ve given all this money to third-parties that look for cancellations so they could try to get you a faster test.”

But the 20-year-old said that despite making the payments, he “didn’t hear back from them again”, which is illegal.

“When you lose all that money, you get to a point where you can’t really afford to find another driving test,” he said.

“I just feel very frustrated because I’ve spent all this money, all this time into driving, and I haven’t sat a single driving test.”

The DVSA urged applicants to only book tests via the official Gov.uk website and told Sky News it “deploys enhanced bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly”.

“These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing,” it said.

From Tuesday, the DVSA will require learner drivers to provide 10 full working days’ notice to change or cancel their car driving test without losing the test fee, up from the current three days.

Also part of the DVSA’s crackdown to reduce waiting times is a consultation expected to launch in spring 2025 “to streamline the driving test booking process” and “tighten terms and conditions”.

UK

Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

Published

15 hours ago

April 4, 2025

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Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.

The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.

The charges relate to four women.

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.

Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.

He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.

The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.

The comedian has previously denied the accusations, and said all his sexual relationships were “absolutely always consensual”.

Met Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.

“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”

UK

Last UK blast furnaces days from closure as Chinese owners cut off crucial supplies

Published

22 hours ago

April 4, 2025

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Last UK blast furnaces days from closure as Chinese owners cut off crucial supplies

The last blast furnaces left operating in Britain could see their fate sealed within days, after their Chinese owners took the decision to cut off the crucial supply of ingredients keeping them running.

Jingye, the owner of British Steel in Scunthorpe, has, according to union representatives, cancelled future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.

The upshot is that they may have to close next month – even sooner than the earliest date suggested for its closure.

The fate of the blast furnaces – the last two domestic sources of virgin steel, made from iron ore rather than recycled – is likely to be determined in a matter of days, with the Department for Business and Trade now actively pondering nationalisation.

The upshot is that even as Britain contends with a trade war across the Atlantic, it is now working against the clock to secure the future of steelmaking at Scunthorpe.

The talks between the government and Jingye broke down last week after the Chinese company, which bought British Steel out of receivership in 2020, rejected a £500m offer of public money to replace the existing furnaces with electric arc furnaces.

The sum is the same one it offered to Tata Steel, which has shut down the other remaining UK blast furnaces in Port Talbot and is planning to build electric furnaces – which have far lower carbon emissions.

However, the owners argue that the amount is too little to justify extra investment at Scunthorpe, and said last week they were now consulting on the date of shutting both the blast furnaces and the attached steelworks.

Since British Steel is the main provider of steel rails to Network Rail – as well as other construction steels available from only a few sites in the world – the closure would leave the UK more reliant on imports for critical infrastructure sites.

However, since the site belongs to its Chinese owners, a decision to nationalise the site would involve radical steps government officials are wary of taking.

They also fear leaving taxpayers exposed to a potentially loss-making business for the long run.

The dilemma has been heightened by the sharp turn in geopolitical sentiment following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The incipient trade war and threatened cut in American support to Europe have sparked fresh calls for countries to act urgently to secure their own supplies of critical materials, especially those used for defence and infrastructure.

Gareth Stace, head of UK Steel, the industry lobby group, said: “Talks seem to have broken down between government and British Steel.

“My advice to government is: please, Jonathan Reynolds, Business Secretary, get back round that negotiating table, thrash out a deal, and if a deal can’t be found in the next few days, then I fear for the very future of the sector, but also here for Scunthorpe steelworks.”

British Steel declined to comment.