Kemi Badenoch warns disciplinary hearing of officer will harm policing (Image: Getty)
Kemi Badenoch slammed the police watchdog for launching a gross misconduct hearing against the police marksman who shot Chris Kaba. Metropolitan Police officer Martyn Blake, 41, shot the 24-year-old in Streatham, south-east London, in September 2022 after Mr Kaba tried to ram his way past police cars that had hemmed him in.
He was cleared of murder over the shooting in October, but on Wednesday watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said he will still have to face gross misconduct proceedings. But the Tory leader insisted that the IOPC “has got this wrong”.
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Heroes like the police officer who shot Chris Kaba are all that stand between us and the predators, thieves and maniacs.
But because our society has gone mad, instead of a commendation, that police officer was put on trial for murder. I said at the time it was a disgrace and so…
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) April 30, 2025
Taking to X, she said: “Heroes like the police officer who shot Chris Kaba are all that stand between us and the predators, thieves and maniacs.
“But because our society has gone mad, instead of a commendation, that police officer was put on trial for murder. I said at the time it was a disgrace and so did many others.
“Fortunately, a jury of ordinary Londoners found Sergeant Martyn Blake, Not Guilty. They had more sense and decency than the officials who made the decision to charge him with murder in the first place. And they did it without seeing evidence the judge ruled inadmissible: CCTV footage of Chris Kaba shooting someone from a rival gang.
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“But Sgt Blake is still facing persecution. Unbelievably, the IOPC are bringing a case of gross misconduct against him.”
Mrs Badenoch continued: “The over-interpretation of guidelines to the point where no one is able to do their job properly will harm policing and deter good people from taking up this difficult job.
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“We need to support police officers who do difficult things to protect the public, provided they act in accordance with the law, as a jury found Sgt Blake did.
“The IOPC has got this wrong and the government should get a grip of this issue urgently.”
On the night Mr Kaba died, police began following the Audi Q8 that he was driving because it had been used as a getaway car in a shooting in Brixton, south London, the night before
They did not know who was driving the car at the time, although it later emerged Mr Kaba was a core member of one of London’s most dangerous street gangs and was accused of being involved in two shootings in the week before he died.
Dozens of Metropolitan Police armed officers downed tools in outrage when Mr Blake was charged with murder and the army was put on standby to plug the gap.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “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.”
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Mr Blake was cleared after a trial at the Old Bailey in October last year and questions were raised as to whether he should ever have been charged with murder.
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The IOPC said the charge was brought after “careful consideration of a significant amount of evidence” and the application of relevant legal tests while the Crown Prosecution Service said the matter had to be put before a jury.
Mr Blake was publicly named during his trial as is standard practice, but restrictions remain in place banning the publication of his address or any description or image of him.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is bringing in legal changes that will give police marksmen accused of murder the right to anonymity up to the point of conviction.
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