Chris Kaba was not a good man, but did not deserve to be shot in the head according to Hackney North MP Diane Abbott at a meeting in Islington earlier this week.
She was addressing an awards ceremony in a packed Chapel in Pentonville Prison having rushed there straight from a debate in the House of Commons following a jury acquitting Police Sergeant Martyn Blake of murder. He was the armed officer who had shot Kaba in the forehead following a car chase in September 2022. Following the trial, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had announced she was considering granting police firearms officers anonymity in future, and Ms Abbott, Mother of the House of Commons as the longest servicing woman MP, had opposed that proposal.
She told those attending the Islington ceremony, “Chris Kaba may not have been a good man. He certainly was no hero. But he did not deserve to die after being shot in the head.” In an exclusive interview she gave us more details on her thoughts.
“We do not have capital punishment in this country, and we do not employ police to be judge, jury, and executioner. I do not agree with granting police firearms officers anonymity as they must be held to the same level of accountability as everyone else, and given they carry guns whereas anyone else who is armed is liable for arrest, they should be held to the highest standards.
“The local community who have spoken to me since the day of the shooting, local people, in fact many Londoners, felt uneasy after Kaba was shot and feel even more nervous now. If the police are granted anonymity as has been suggested by the Home Secretary, they will lose trust in the system. That must not happen.”
A woman who had taught Chris Kaba at school described him as a bright pupil who had been lured by the glamour of gang life. Asking to remain anonymous, she told The Times “he was a lovely, intelligent boy and there was no indication he would end up in this lifestyle. He came from a stable home. Impressionable boys get captivated by gang culture.” She added three other pupils at her former school later became convicted murderers.
Dunia Shafiq, whose son Ali Zahawy was one of those pupils and is serving a 22 year sentence for murder, told us she is calling for the Government to allow parents more involvement in the development of their children whilst they are in prison, to ensure families stay together and to help rehabilitation. “Young people can suddenly take a wrong turning, and we need to help them turn back and change. Not to shoot them or just lock them up and leave them.”
There was a demonstration in Trafalgar Square at the weekend expressing support for families who have died at the hands of the state. The United Families and Friends Campaign protested peacefully, and handed a letter addressed to the Prime Minister calling for justice for Kaba.