On a dawn police raid, the case of Chris Kaba’s shooting still lingers over armed officers
At a midnight briefing in Kentish Town police station in north London, officers are shown a photograph of Danny Downes, a large white man with a wispy beard, who has been linked to a shooting in the area.
Swabs on a bullet casing found at the scene have come back with a match to his DNA.
Intelligence suggests he keeps the gun at home.
In the room are MO19 officers, colleagues of Martyn Blake, the firearms officer who was charged with murder after opening fire on the job.
Chris Kaba
Blake was acquitted of murdering Chris Kaba last October, but with Wednesday’s police watchdog decision to launch a gross misconduct hearing against Blake, the case still lingers over his unit.
Police officers don’t get paid anything extra for carrying a gun – what they get is the dangerous callouts, and a huge responsibility strapped to their shoulders.
The Kentish town operation, like any shift, is another chance when shots could be fired and split-second risk assessments made in the moment could be scrutinised for months, even years, careers could go on hold with suspended officers publicly named as they go on trial.
They could end up in prison for the most serious of crimes.
“Why risk it?” many asked themselves during the Blake trial, and at one point, it was reported that up to 300 officers had turned in their firearms permits, allowing them to carry weapons.
The burden of high accountability is what a firearms officer carries with them in their holster, and many would argue, not least the victims’ families of police shootings, that is how it should be; the power to kill in the name of the state must be accompanied by the highest scrutiny.
Armed Met Police officers receive a briefing before a dawn raid to arrest Danny Downes
‘Crush the spirit of good officers’
Some campaigners feel they are under-scrutinised and have a habit of being acquitted for their actions, but, after the Martyn Blake verdict the Met Commissioner, Mark Rowley, said the system for holding police to account was “broken,” adding “the more we crush the spirit of good officers – the less they can fight crime”.
In a statement on Wednesday, Assistant Commissioner Lawrence Taylor said: “We know another lengthy process will fall heavily on the shoulders of NX121 (Blake’s code name) and more widely our firearms officers who continue to bravely and tirelessly police the streets of London every day to protect the public.”
Chris Kaba’s family said they welcomed the IOPC’s decision, adding: “We hope this leads to him being removed from the Met Police. What Martyn Blake did was deeply wrong.”
In the Kentish Town briefing room, plans for the operation are set out: room layouts, entry points, cordons, risk assessments.
Then Derek Caroll, a specialist tactical firearms commander, tells the room why it is proportional that the planned dawn raid to arrest Downes should involve officers who carry guns.
Derek Caroll, a specialist tactical firearms commander, during a briefing ahead of a dawn raid
Caroll said: “Clearly, he has used the firearm in a public place, so that’s the reason armed officers have been deployed… the subject these officers are going to go up against has either immediate possession of a firearm or access to a firearm.
“Because there is a gun outstanding there is a potential risk – he has a propensity to fire the weapon.”
The point seems obvious and laboured, but the case of Martyn Blake and other shootings has made it clear that this stuff needs to be spelled out as often as possible.
Sergeant Blake had been on a similar mission to these officers when he shot 23-year-old Chris Kaba.
The death of Kaba in September 2022
He and other officers were involved in stopping an Audi Q8 used in a shooting in Brixton.
Arguably, there are more variables trying to stop a car than in a dawn house raid where suspects are usually asleep.
With car stops, they can see you coming, it’s not always clear who is driving, and the vehicle itself can be used as a weapon.
All of this played out in the attempted hard stop of the Audi Q8 in September 2022.
The Met Police’s hard stop of an Audi driven by Chris Kaba in September 2022
The scene of where Chris Kaba was shot in Brixton
An unmarked police car was following the vehicle when it turned a corner and Blake’s marked vehicle blocked its path.
Officers didn’t know Kaba was driving the car, and with armed officers now on foot, Kaba tried to ram his way out.
Seconds later, he was shot by a single round through the windscreen.
The police watchdog referred Sergeant Blake to the CPS, and he was charged with murder.
In court, he argued that he had opened fire because it was his genuinely held belief that the driver posed an imminent threat to life and in October last year, the jury found him not guilty.
After the verdict, it emerged that days before he was shot, Chris Kaba himself was alleged to have shot someone in a nightclub, chasing his victim outside, shooting him again.
‘Gung-ho’ behaviour
Equality activist Stafford Scott believes the killing of Chris Kaba is part of a pattern of what he called “gung-ho” behaviour from Metropolitan Police officers against black men.
He feels the hard stop was an unnecessarily “reckless” tactic.
Sky News’s Jason Farrell (left) speaks to Equality activist Stafford Scott
He lists other shooting victims such as Jermaine Baker and Mark Duggan and blames “institutional racism” within the force – pointing to the matching findings of the McPherson report of 1999 and the more recent Lousie Casey Inquiry in 2023, which both made damning conclusions about police racism.
The prosecution in Blake’s case didn’t argue that racism played a part in the shooting, but having watched the trial, Scott says it left many questions.
“What we have again is this notion of ‘honestly held belief’ and that’s why we are going to the European courts because we won’t get justice in this system – ‘honestly held belief’ must be rational,” he says.
“And let’s remember there was all this stuff in the media afterwards about what Chris Kaba did before he was shot, but at the time Martyn Blake shot Chris Kaba he didn’t even know it was Chris Kaba behind the wheel. He didn’t know who it was.”
These arguments, and what happened at the scene, will again be played out in a misconduct hearing, which requires a lower threshold of proof than criminal proceedings and could lead to Blake being sacked from the force.
Like tiptoeing armadillos
In the operation in Kentish Town, for the officers strapping on their Sig MCXs and holstering their Glocks, the last thing they want is to have to use them.
They are trained to only open fire if they believe there is a risk to life, and a large part of their training is also in first aid, be that on victims they find at the scene – or on someone who they have felt compelled to shoot themselves.
Armed police officers ready their weapons before a dawn raid
It is a surreal scene as these heavily tooled-up officers in helmets and body armour stalk through the everyday scene of a dark council estate then, like tiptoeing armadillos, they quietly shuffle up the stairwell with their forcible entry tool kit.
The door is busted down in seconds to the shouts of “armed police!” and after loud negotiations at gunpoint, the highly overweight figure of Downes is brought out and cuffed in his boxer shorts.
The man is so large, it leads to serious debriefing questions afterwards about what to do if a subject is too big to get out of the door and even taking him downstairs is done by bum shuffle.
“There was a knife in a sheet under one of the beds,” says one of the arresting officers to his commander, “and then the firearm found down the side of the sofa, which is quite readily available to the subject.”
“We got him, no shots fired, and we can be nothing but happy with that,” responds the Commander.
The moment armed police smashed in the door of where Downes was staying in a dawn raid before arresting him
The arrest of Downes
Success is ‘where shots aren’t fired’
Afterwards, Commander Caroll tells Sky News: “It’s a satisfaction getting the gun back – but unfortunately, there’s guns out there and we are doing these jobs very regularly.
“We get a gun off the street. We get the person arrested and as with every firearms operation – every successful firearms operation, for the Met and for the country – is one where shots aren’t fired.”
Out of 4,000 operations a year, shots are only fired once or twice, but whenever they are, questions will always be asked.
There is a balance between rigorous accountability for the officer, a process of justice for bereaved families and the impact it may have on policing if officers fear their names could become known in criminal networks after they shot a gang member or if someone’s “honestly held belief” is not enough to keep them from jail.
Campaigners and members of Chris Kaba’s family say the Blake verdict shows that officers can kill without consequence – his colleagues say he has already paid a heavy price for doing what he is trained to do.
When they are not on operations to seize guns, MO19 officers patrol London poised to deal with stabbings, shootings and terrorist attacks – there’s little doubt the public wants them to keep doing that.
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Downes, 23, has since pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of harm and possession of a Class B substance.
He is due to be sentenced in June.
UK
Police admit failures in Harry Dunn case after report finds officers prioritised suspect’s welfare
Northamptonshire Police has admitted it failed Harry Dunn and his family after a report found officers prioritised the welfare of the suspect in the case over the investigation.
The 19-year-old died in 2019 after US state department employee Anne Sacoolas – who was driving a car on the wrong side of the road – hit his motorbike near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
However, Sacoolas was not immediately arrested following the crash and was able to flee the country, claiming diplomatic immunity, because police did not believe a “necessity test” had been met.
An independent report, published on Wednesday, has now criticised the force’s senior leadership for their handling of the case – including describing its former chief constable as having a “detrimental” impact.
Harry Dunn’s mother Charlotte Charles said she welcomed the findings.
She told Sky News: “Unfortunately, we were treated extremely poorly. All the authorities wanted to shut us down…
“This report does validate everything, of the way we felt and everything that we’ve been put through. To be treated as we were, as the victims of a serious crime, we were let down really, really badly.”
Following a long fight for justice by Mr Dunn’s family, Sacoolas eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving via video link at the Old Bailey in December 2022.
She later received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
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From 2022: Anne Sacoolas pleads guilty
Following the report, Assistant Chief Constable Emma James said in a statement: “On behalf of Northamptonshire Police, I want to apologise to Harry’s family for what is now clear was a failure on our part to do the very best for the victim in this case, Harry, and his family who fought tirelessly in the years that followed to achieve justice for him.
“The picture which emerges is one of a force which has failed the family on a number of fronts”.
She also added: “It was vitally important that Northamptonshire Police conducted this review into the most high-profile case in the force’s history, a case where clear and significant shortcomings have now been properly and independently unearthed.”
Assistant Chief Constable Emma James
The report, which has 38 recommendations, found that Nick Adderley, who was sacked as head of the force last year after lying about his military record, had caused a breakdown in relations with Mr Dunn’s family.
It also revealed that his “erroneous statements” about Sacoolas’s immunity status led the Foreign Office to contact the force asking him not to repeat them.
Read more:
Harry Dunn’s family’s fight for justice never wavered
‘I couldn’t have asked for a better brother’, Harry’s twin tells inquest
Danielle Stone, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire, said Mr Adderley’s behaviour was “unfathomable”.
She added that the report “makes really clear his culpability.”
Danielle Stone said Mr Adderley’s behaviour was “unfathomable”
The report also said Northamptonshire Police potentially had a culture of not arresting suspects “in circumstances such as these, which could lead to evidence not being obtained”. It recommended that the force adopt an “investigative mindset” over serious road crashes.
Regarding the decision not to arrest Sacoolas, the report said the decision had not been “explained in enough detail”. It added: “The overriding factor in the decision appears to be the welfare of the suspect and her suffering from shock, with little to no consideration around the full necessity test under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.
“A prompt and effective investigation was not considered or articulated. The view is that in these circumstances the suspect could and should have been arrested to assist the evidence-gathering process.”
The report continued: “The duty (police sergeant) made the decision not to arrest.
“The rationale was largely based on a belief that the necessity test was not met, and information received that Anne Sacoolas was in shock.
“Whilst the welfare of any person is a concern for officers, this should not have prevented the arrest of Anne Sacoolas.”
Ms Charles, who was recently honoured with an MBE after her campaigning efforts led to road safety improvements near US airbases, said: “I don’t think you’re ever done grieving. There’s never any closure to losing a child. You live with it, it’s so profound.
“So the only thing I would ever say to anybody else who feels that they’ve got a fight ahead of them, dig deep, do your best, because you just never know the resilience that you’ve got until you absolutely have to find it.”
Plans for cuts to benefits which will impact more than three million households will be published today – as the government faces a battle to convince dozens of Labour MPs to back them.
Liz Kendall, the welfare secretary, has set out proposals to cut £5bn from the welfare budget – which she has said is “unsustainable” and “trapping people in welfare dependency”.
Disabled people claiming PIP, the personal independence payment which helps people – some of them working – with the increased costs of daily living, face having their awards reviewed from the end of next year.
An estimated 800,000 current and future PIP recipients will lose an average of £4,500 a year, according to a government assessment.
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Government’s battle over welfare reforms
The government also intends to freeze the health element of Universal Credit, claimed by more than two million people, at £97 a week during this parliament, and cut the rate to £50 for new claimants.
Under pressure from Labour MPs concerned particularly that changes to PIP will drive families into poverty, Ms Kendall will announce new protections in the bill today.
Sky News understands they include a 13-week transition period for those losing PIP; a higher rate of Universal Credit for people with the most serious conditions; and a commitment that disabled people who take a job will not immediately lose their benefits.
Some 40 Labour MPs have signed a letter refusing to support the cuts; and dozens of others have concerns, including ministers.
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Benefits cuts explained
Ms Kendall is determined to press ahead, and has said the number of new PIP claimants has doubled since 2019 – at 34,000, up from 15,000.
Ministers say 90% of current claimants will not lose their benefits; and that many people will be better off – with the total welfare bill set to continue to rise over this parliament.
To keep the benefit, claimants must score a minimum of four points out of eight on one of the daily living criteria.
Ministers say claimants with the most serious conditions, who cannot work, will not face constant reassessments.
A £1bn programme is proposed, intended to give disabled people who can work tailored support to find jobs.
Some Labour MPs have angrily opposed the reforms – which will be voted on later this month.
Last night in a parliamentary debate, Labour MP for Poole Neil Duncan-Jordan disputed the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures.
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He said: “We already know that PIP is an underclaimed benefit. The increase in claims is a symptom of declining public health and increased financial hardship disabled people are facing.
“We have the same proportion of people on working-age benefits as in 2015. This is not an economic necessity, it’s a political choice.”
Liz Kendall
Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York, called the proposals “devastating “. She said: “We must change direction and not proceed with these cuts.”
Disability groups say they fear an increase in suicides and mental health conditions.
The government’s own assessment forecast an extra 250,000 people could be pushed into poverty – including 50,000 children. It did not include the impact of people moving into work.
Ms Kendall was urged by MPs on the Commons Work and Pensions committee to delay the reforms, to carry out an impact assessment, but wrote back to the committee saying the reforms were too urgent to delay – and that MPs would be able to amend the legislation.
The grieving mother of a Scottish teen who vanished for a month has told Sky News she believes a “third party” was involved in her son’s death.
Cole Cooper, 19, was discovered dead in woods near Falkirk earlier this month following a missing persons inquiry his relatives don’t believe was taken seriously enough by police.
He was last seen on CCTV in May after leaving a house party, but police later revealed a former school friend had spoken to Cole a few days later nearby.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, his mum Wendy Stewart, 42, has revealed her son had “various arguments” in the days and hours before he disappeared.
Cole’s mum Wendy (L) and his aunt Aimee
In an emotional interview, she said: “He was only 19, he should never have been taken. I am never going to see him again. I never got a chance to give him a last cuddle and hold his hand.
“Someone has taken that away from me far too soon. Whether it be intentionally or unintentionally, I do believe there has been some involvement by a third party and the result is the death of Cole.”
The family, who organised a local vigil in Cole’s memory last weekend, have vowed to get “justice”.
Asked what that means, Ms Stewart told Sky News: “Finding the culprit and getting justice that way. Finding the person that is responsible for the death of my child.”
Police previously said 400 residents were spoken to during door-to-door enquires and more than 2,000 hours of CCTV footage was collected.
The 19-year-old’s death is being treated as “unexplained”.
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Cole Cooper’s mother Wendy at a vigil in Banknock. Pic: PA
Cole’s aunt Aimee Tennie, 32, revealed the family’s anger over the police handling of the case as they attempt to find out what happened.
She said: “We are aware of small details surrounding the weekend leading up to it with arguments. He had a few arguments over that weekend. We want the details re-examined thoroughly.”
Sky News put all of the family’s concerns and allegations to Police Scotland.
The force swerved our questions and responded saying: “Enquiries remain ongoing.”
Wendy Stewart claimed the probe has been handled “shockingly” with a failure to take her son’s disappearance seriously.
The 42-year-old said: “I have had to scream and shout from rooftops to be heard by the police. I don’t think they have handled it well.
“The police really need to take accountability and listen to families, they are reporting a missing child and understand the family knows their child best.”
Cole Cooper’s loved ones still have not been told when his body will be released to allow them to lay him to rest.
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