Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick (Image: Getty)

       Robert Jenrick led fury at the police watchdog after an officer accused of the murder of Chris Kaba was cleared.

       The Tory leadership candidate called on the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to "end this saga" after marksman Martyn Blake was found not guilty.

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       Mr Blake, 40, could still face a disciplinary hearing after a jury at the Old Bailey acquitted him following around three-and-a-half hours of deliberation on Monday.

       Ex-immigration minister Mr Jenrick said: "Martyn Blake was hauled through the courts for doing his job in incredibly difficult circumstances. He was acquitted by a jury in hours - the case is closed.

       "The IOPC must now stop pursuing Sgt Blake and end this saga by dropping any further investigations immediately — especially given what we now know about Chris Caba.

       "The IOPC ultimately reports to Yvette Cooper. She must end this farce — if necessary by replacing the Director General — so firearms officers have the confidence they need to protect the public."

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       Mr Blake shot Mr Kaba through the windscreen of an Audi as the 24-year-old tried to ram his way past police cars in Streatham, south-east London, on September 5 2022.

       Mr Kaba's family said they were "devastated" at the verdict and felt "the deep pain of injustice", but police figures have questioned why the case was ever brought to court.

       It can now be reported after restrictions were lifted that Mr Kaba was a "core member" of one of London's most dangerous criminal gangs and was allegedly directly linked to two shootings in the six days before he was shot dead.

       Reform UK's five MPs also questioned whether the IOPC and the Crown Prosecution Service were "fit for purpose".

       They said in a statement: "We should be very grateful to the jury who acquitted Martyn Blake on the charge of murdering Chris Kaba, in less than three hours.

       "Their decision undoubtedly brings into question whether the CPS and IOPC are competent and fit for purpose.

       The Runnymede Trust should have their charitable status removed.

       They are clearly a political organisation, peddling divisive statements, misleading claims and refusing to accept the outcome of a full jury trial.

       They are a dangerous organisation pouring poison into our… pic.twitter.com/qJkAfnTbMc

       — Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) October 22, 2024

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       "Mr Blake made a split-second decision based on a series of facts that clearly led the police to believe this could be a dangerous person.

       "However the statements by the IOPC and the CPS after the verdict are truly shocking.

       "Both wrongly decided to recommend a prosecution for murder by a serving police officer.

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       Martyn Blake should never have been prosecuted for shooting dead Chris Kaba

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       Robert Jenrick calls for grooming gang crackdown with mandatory life sentences

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       I almost committed the worst mass shooting in UK history - one unlikely thing stopped me

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       The assisted dying bill must include Parkinson's patients like me - Sir Nicholas Mostyn

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       Government urged to publish crossbow review before 'more lives are lost'

       17 Comments

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       Comments

       Public schoolboy 'preparing for zombie apocalypse' attacked sleeping pupils with hammer

       9 Comments

       Police officer cleared of murder as jury deliver Chris Kaba murder trial verdict

       461 Comments

       Protestors chant outside Old Bailey as police officer 'not guilty' of Chris Kaba's murder

       144 Comments

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       83 Comments

       Moment Chris Kaba stalks nightclub shooting victim days before cop gunned him down

       Comments

       Jacob Rees-Mogg brands decision to pursue police officer who shot Chris Kaba as 'disgrace'

       129 Comments

       Chris Kaba's biggest supporters - from Jeremy Corbyn to his mum who called police 'racist'

       Comments

       Martyn Blake should never have been prosecuted for shooting dead Chris Kaba

       52 Comments

       Twisted family GB faces life sentence for injecting poison in inheritance plot

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       Tory councillor's wife jailed over horrific racial hatred tweet is 'to appeal sentence'

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       The Lady in the Lake: How Carol Park's murderer got away with his crime for 30 years

       Comments

       Grandad dies in prison two months after being jailed for taking part in UK riots

       Comments

       Robert Jenrick calls for grooming gang crackdown with mandatory life sentences

       302 Comments

       "They show no regret and are still siding with Mr Kaba, who we now discover was a feared, violent, gun-toting gangster who had shot someone a number of times, just a few days before the incident."

       Mr Blake will be immediately reinstated to his job but will need to undergo refresher training before being deployed operationally.

       The CPS and the IOPC said the decision to bring criminal charges against Mr Blake was made after an in-depth consideration of the evidence and that it was right to put the case before a jury.