A judge has ruled that the details of Chris Kaba’s criminal background can be made public following the acquittal of Metropolitan Police officer Martyn Blake, who shot him. CCTV footage has surfaced showing Kaba allegedly shooting another man on a nightclub dancefloor, leading to claims that he was a key member of a London gang.
This decision came on Tuesday, just a day after Blake was cleared of murder in the shooting of Kaba on September 5, 2022. During the murder trial at the Old Bailey, Kaba’s past offenses were not presented to the jury, as presiding judge Mr. Justice Goss deemed them irrelevant to the case. At the time of the incident, Blake was unaware of Kaba’s criminal history and did not know who was inside the Audi Q8, which police had connected to an earlier firearms incident.
After Kaba was fatally shot, investigators examined the Audi, valued at nearly £100,000, and discovered a passport belonging to a Marcus Pottinger, along with court documents and letters associated with Connel Bamgboye, a former music producer with a criminal record related to drugs. Earlier in 2022, Bamgboye had driven the same Audi during an armed police stop.
In the same year, Pottinger, Bamgboye, and another individual faced convictions linked to a shooting that took place on August 30, 2022, at the Oval Space nightclub in east London, and were sentenced to prison. This incident was captured on CCTV, showing a man with a gun pursuing another individual across a crowded dancefloor, resulting in injuries from multiple gunshots.
During the trial for the Hackney shooting, Kaba was identified as the gunman. He arrived at the nightclub in the same Audi where he was shot by police just six days later. Kaba was believed to be affiliated with a south London rap group known as 67, a group noted for its connections to drug activities and violence, primarily based in the Brixton Hill area.
Prosecutor Karim Khalil KC described Kaba’s actions in court: “Chris Kaba pulled a handgun out of a bag that had been smuggled into the club… He shot the victim in the upper part of his left leg, and ran after him, shooting again.”
The Audi linked to Kaba was also associated with another shooting incident in Bromley, south London, earlier that year, where DNA from five individuals was found inside the vehicle. Notably, the car was not registered to Kaba.
Kaba had multiple prior convictions, dating back to when he was just 13 years old, with his most recent prison stint ending in April 2022. His criminal record included being shot in a gang conflict in 2017 and a conviction for possessing an imitation firearm in 2019. By mid-September 2022, Kaba was facing a hearing to determine if he should receive a gang prevention order and was believed to have held the position of a gang lieutenant with the street name “Itch.”
While Kaba’s past was not disclosed to the jury in the context of the murder trial, it is now set to be reported following the judge’s ruling. After Kaba’s death, Officer Blake experienced threats to his safety, which sources indicate remained serious during the trial. Blake’s identity was only revealed after legal actions taken by media outlets, although his image is protected by a court order.
Kaba’s family sought to maintain reporting restrictions on his past until all legal matters concluded. However, the police argued that making Kaba’s history public could help prevent potential unrest. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy stated that transparency regarding Kaba’s character after the trial could mitigate risks of civil disorder in London.
Cundy acknowledged the challenges in police-community relations in Lambeth, where Kaba was shot and where the 67 gang is active. He noted the risk of misrepresentation of Kaba’s character could lead to heightened tensions within the local community.
