The officer cleared of murder after shooting dead Chris Kaba will face a gross misconduct hearing, following a review by the police watchdog.

The 24-year-old’s family welcomed the decision, saying they hope it leads to sergeant Martyn Blake, 41, being sacked from the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Kaba, who was not armed, had both hands on the steering wheel of his vehicle when he was shot in the head by the firearms officer in Streatham, south London, on 5 September 2022.

A helicopter and six police cars were involved in stopping Mr Kaba after the Audi Q8 he was driving had been linked to a shooting outside a school in nearby Brixton the previous evening.

Mr Kaba had turned into Kirkstall Gardens, where Mr Blake was inside a marked police BMW, before trying to make his escape.

The murder trial hinged on the following 17 seconds, when Mr Kaba reversed a short distance, hitting an unmarked police car behind, then accelerated forward, reaching an estimated 12mph before colliding with the BMW and a parked Tesla.

Armed officers were heard shouting “go, go, go” and “armed police, get out of the f***ing car,” as they surrounded Mr Kaba’s vehicle in footage played in court.

Mr Kaba then reversed at 8mph, hitting the unmarked Volvo behind, and was stationary as Mr Blake pulled the trigger of his gun less than a second later, followed by shouts of “shots fired” and “where from?”

He died in hospital in the early hours of the next day after the bullet travelled through the windscreen and struck him in the head.

Speaking after Mr Blake was cleared of murder in October, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the officer made a split-second decision on what he thought was necessary “to protect his colleagues and to protect London”.

Prosecutors had argued Mr Blake may have “become angry, frustrated and annoyed” and Mr Kaba had done nothing in the seconds before he was shot to justify his decision to pull the trigger.

The officer said he didn’t intend to kill Mr Kaba, adding: “I had a genuine belief that there was an imminent threat to life, I thought one or more of my colleagues was about to die.”

The jury – which was not told Mr Kaba was a core member of a notorious south London gang who was suspected of carrying out a nightclub shooting – deliberated for about three hours before finding Mr Blake not guilty of murder.

But the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said he will face a gross misconduct hearing after a “thorough review” of all the evidence in the case.

The threshold is a lower test than for criminal proceedings and a police disciplinary panel will decide whether misconduct is proven or not.

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “We understand the impact this decision will have on Chris Kaba’s family and Sergeant Blake and acknowledge the significant public interest in this case, particularly among our black communities, firearms officers and the wider policing community.

“This is a decision we have taken based on examining all the evidence, views of all parties and by applying the thresholds set out in legislation and guidance which govern our work.

“The legal test for deciding whether there is a case to answer is low – is there sufficient evidence upon which, on the balance of probabilities, a disciplinary panel could make a finding of misconduct. This has been met and therefore we need to follow the legal process. 

“We appreciate that the Home Office is carrying out a review of the legal test for the use of force in misconduct cases, however, we must apply the law as it currently stands.”

Mr Kaba’s family vowed they “won’t be silenced” and would continue fighting for “justice and for real change” following the verdict.

In a statement issued through the charity Inquest after the IOPC’s decision, they said: “We hope this leads to him being removed from the Met Police.

“What Martyn Blake did was deeply wrong. We are still so devastated to have lost Chris – this should never have happened.

“The fact that the Met promoted Martyn Blake after the verdict only deepened our pain and showed a complete disregard for our loss.

“Martyn Blake should not be allowed to remain a police officer. He should lose his job.”

The Met said the force made “strong representations” that Mr Blake, who they referred to by the cypher NX121 used before a judge lifted an anonymity order, should not face any further action.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: “We know any fatal use of force by police understandably prompts concern among communities.

“NX121 made a split-second decision on what he believed was necessary to protect his colleagues and London and a jury unanimously decided that was an honestly-held belief and the force used was reasonable.

“However, the IOPC has now determined that NX121 has a case to answer for his use of force and has directed us to hold a gross misconduct hearing.

“We know another lengthy process will fall heavily on the shoulders of NX121 and more widely our firearms officers, who continue to bravely and tirelessly police the streets of London every day to protect the public.”

Mr Taylor said the Met will ask a chief officer from another force to chair the hearing to ensure independence.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered a review into the accountability of firearms officers.

Some of the force’s firearms officers turned in their weapons in protest after Mr Blake was charged with murder and the IOPC’s decision is likely to cause further concern.

Mr Blake is only the fourth police officer to be charged with murder or manslaughter over a fatal police shooting in England and Wales since 1990, while a total of 83 people have died in such incidents, according to the Inquest charity.

In that time, only one on-duty officer, Benjamin Monk, has been found guilty of manslaughter – over the death of former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson, 48 – while none have been convicted of murder.

The first known victim of serial paedophile Richard Burrows has told Sky News he regrets not reporting his assault at the time to save others from “falling into the same trap”.

Burrows, 81, will learn his sentence at Chester Crown Court today after being convicted last month of dozens of sexual offences against young boys.

The judge told him it is “inevitable” he might never be released.

The former scout master had spent 27 years on the run, living in what he called “paradise” in Thailand, after stealing the identity of a friend and fleeing the UK when he was due in court in 1997.

He was arrested when he arrived at Heathrow in March last year.

The trial heard that Burrows had obtained positions of authority and systematically abused boys from the 1960s to the mid-1990s.

He had worked as a housemaster at a school for troubled boys and befriended other youngsters through amateur radio clubs.

One of those was his first victim, aged 14 at the time in the late 1960s, and now 71.

He told Sky News: “It’s been an awfully long time and after 57 years I’ve got to see the results at the end of it.

“It does actually feel like a weight’s been lifted. You hear that expression all through life, but it’s the first time ever really felt it.”

He described Burrows as a “devious, nasty creature”.

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The man, who cannot be identified as he is the victim of a sexual offence, attended Burrows’s trial and delivered a victim impact statement at his sentencing.

He said he wanted to do this because of the regret he carries to this day.

“I wish I’d said something when it happened because I feel that, in retrospect, if I would have said something, then maybe it would have stopped other people from falling into the same trap that I did,” he added.

“But at that time, at that age, I thought I probably wouldn’t have been believed, and I felt too ashamed and embarrassed and even guilty to even mention it to anybody else. So, I didn’t, and I regret not doing that.”

The man contacted police after seeing an appeal for help in finding the fugitive Burrows on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme in 2011. It would be another decade before he was arrested.

He said: “I really begrudge him those 27 years. It’s 27 years and he’s just left a trail of wreckage behind him while he’s enjoying himself.

“It’s a shame he’s not got another 27 years to look forward to in jail.”

Although he was the earliest victim on the indictment at Burrows’s trial, like detectives from Cheshire Police, he believes there could be other victims who have not come forward.

He said: “Personally, I don’t think I was the first victim. I think that he was probably fairly well practiced in the art of what he was doing prior to my meeting him.”

Burrows was initially charged in May 1997 but failed to attend a hearing later that year.

He remained on the wanted list until police using facial recognition software matched him to a man using the name Peter Smith. He had stolen the identity of a terminally ill friend to obtain a passport.

After his conviction in March, judge Steven Everett told Burrows he had caused “untold distress and trauma to the victims and their families”.

The UK has joined US forces in attacking a Houthi target in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump was re-elected.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes took place on Tuesday as part of the government’s response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The ministry said careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture the sort of drones used to attack ships, located 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.

RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on several buildings using Paveway IV precision-guided bombs.

The planes had air refuelling support from Voyager tankers.

The ministry said the strike was conducted after dark to reduce the likelihood of civilians being in the area.

All the aircraft returned safely.

Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.

“Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.

“We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and international shipping.”

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Houthis a ‘persistent threat’ to ‘freedom of navigation’

Mr Healey said Houthi activities in the Red Sea are a “persistent threat” to “freedom of navigation”.

“A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,” he said.

“The government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people. I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the service men and women involved in this operation.”

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US intensifies strikes on Houthis

It was the first time UK forces have struck a target in Yemen since May last year, the ministry confirmed.

The US has intensified its strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis under Mr Trump’s presidency, after his re-election in November 2024.

The group began launching attacks on shipping routes in November 2023 saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

The strike came after a Houthi-controlled TV channel claimed a US strike killed 68 people at a detention centre for African migrants in Yemen on Monday.