Image source, Kaba family handout
Chris Kaba was shot in September 2022
The Metropolitan Police firearms officer charged with the murder of Chris Kaba will be named, the Old Bailey has decided.
Mr Kaba, 24, died after being shot in a police operation in Streatham, south London last year.
On Monday, a judge dismissed concerns about the “real and immediate risk” to officer, named only as NX121, if his identity was made public.
The Met said the decision would be “hugely concerning” for officers.
At the Old Bailey the Recorder of London Mark Lucraft KC decided the officer’s name could be made public, along with his date of birth, on 30 January 2024.
The decision was made after media organisations including the BBC challenged the officer’s legal application to protect his identity on the basis that confidence in the criminal justice system required cases to be held, wherever possible, in public.
The BBC does not currently know his identity.
The judge will continue to restrict publication of the address of the officer and any images or drawings of him.
‘Risks’
In his ruling, the judge said he had viewed “raw underlying intelligence material” before coming to the conclusion there was not a “real and immediate risk” to the life of the defendant or to his family if he was named.
He recognised that releasing the officer’s address, and an image of him “might give rise to such risks”.
Judge Lucraft added that a three-month delay would also cater for “the imposition of any additional mitigating measures… by those responsible for dealing with NX121”.
‘Hugely concerning’
Following the decision to name the defendant, the Met’s Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “I recognise that for officers this decision will be hugely concerning, and that the impact of this and recent cases is felt right across armed policing and beyond.
“We take seriously the open justice principle, however it was important to make the court aware of the effect that loss of anonymity would have in this case.”
Mr Twist added that shootings by armed Met officers “are very rare”, and the role of an armed officer is “absolutely critical” in protecting the country from “severe and very real threats”.
The Met Police marksman was charged with murder on 20 September, with the Crown Prosecution Service choosing not to publicly name the officer, ahead of an application to keep him anonymous.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court the following day, where District Judge Nina Tempia put an order in place banning publication of anything that would identify the officer, ahead of further legal hearings at the Old Bailey.
A plea and trial preparation hearing is due to take place on 1 December, with a trial planned to start on 9 September next year.
Mr Kaba died from a single gunshot wound
Mr Kaba died from a single gunshot wound to the head after he was hemmed in by a police vehicle on 5 September 2022.
He was driving an Audi when he was followed by an unmarked police car with no lights or sirens.
As he turned into a residential street, he was blocked by a marked police car and a firearms officer fired one shot through the windscreen and hit Mr Kaba.
Mr Kaba was taken to hospital and died the following day, on 6 September.
Mr Kaba’s family previously told the BBC they wanted the officer to face criminal charges.
Last month, hundreds of police officers in London turned in their weapons permits after officer NX121 was charged with murder.
The Met said many firearms officers were “worried” about how the charging decision “impacts on them”.
Armed officers from other forces were deployed and soldiers were put on standby as a contingency measure.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
