How Chris Kaba’s household fought to maintain reality about his previous a secret

The family of Chris Kaba tried to stop the press from reporting full details of his criminality and violent past, it can be revealed.  

Mr Kaba, 24, was shot dead by firearms officer Martyn Blake on September 5, 2022 following a police chase which saw him try to flee in an Audi Q8. 

Journalists wanted to tell the full facts behind the fatal shooting of the rapper and gang member – including his violent past – but were prevented by a raft of reporting restrictions during the Old Bailey trial in central London. 

The restrictions were lifted on Tuesday after Blake was found not guilty of Mr Kaba’s murder despite claims he shot him ‘without justification’ to stop his escape. 

But Mr Kaba’s mother, Helen Lumuanganu, had applied for her son’s background to remain secret until a jury inquest into his death could be held. 

The family argued that if the details of his gang connections and gun violence were known it could prejudice the future proceedings, which are not expected to take place for at least a year.  

Chris Kaba (pictured) was a ‘core member’ of one of London´s most dangerous criminal gangs and was allegedly directly linked to two shootings days before he was shot dead by police

A gruesome photo allegedly shows the man Mr Kaba shot in both legs at a nightclub in London just days before he himself was shot by police 

Media organisations opposed to the move, pointing out that many details had already been reported and there was a high public interest.

The Daily Mail on Tuesday revealed the details of Kaba’s past – and that hewas one of London’s most feared gangsters with a shocking history of violence.

Ahead of this, the Met Police were so concerned about the impact of the public being kept in the dark about Mr Kaba’s background, that Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy wrote to the judge warning him it could cause civil unrest. 

On the evening of the not guilty verdict, protests in opposition of the jury’s decision were held outside the Old Bailey, fighting for justice for Mr Kaba.  

The next day, Mr Justice Goss announced his decision to allow reporting of Mr Kaba’s gang member status, previous convictions and alleged direct involvement in two shootings days before his death.

From the start, members of the media had faced a number of legal battles for permission to report fully on the trial of Blake and Mr Kaba’s background.

When the officer was first charged in September last year, he was referred to only by the cypher NX121, but was named in January following legal representations by various media organisations.

The blue Audi Q8 that Chris Kaba was in when he died 

Journalists successfully argued that defendants charged with murder are normally publicly named, as a key part of a transparent justice system.

Opponents had raised concern for Blake’s safety and extra security was put in place to protect him at subsequent court appearances.

Later an order was put in place under section 4(2) of the Contempt of Court Act preventing the naming of Mr Kaba in the trial of other men over a shooting at a nightclub in Hackney.

As the alleged gunman, Mr Kaba could not be named in reporting of the trial, and none of the key CCTV evidence could be made public.

A separate order was put in place in the run up to Blake’s trial, that detailed the so-called  ‘bad character’ evidence relating to Mr Kaba, including the nightclub shooting which allegedly saw him shoot a man in both legs. 

A grab from footage of Mr Kaba, arrowed in blue, who allegedly opened fire with a gun inside a busy London nightclub days before his death 

More information about his previous convictions and firearms incidents linked to the Audi that he was driving were all kept from the jury on the grounds that they were not relevant to the issues in the case.

It was successfully argued that Blake knew nothing of Mr Kaba’s link to earlier shootings and indeed had no idea who was at the wheel of the Audi when he opened fire.

Accusations that the prosecution presented an overly-positive image of the victim to the jury held no sway in the argument for the jury to be told of Mr Kaba’s activities and gang connections.

On Monday, the jury in the case took the unusual step of asking Mr Justice Goss if they could say something to the court when delivering their verdict.

Permission was denied, and an application by Jude Bunting KC on behalf of various media organisations to see the note was rejected.