UK police watchdog drops misconduct case against Met officer who shot Chris Kaba after the legal test for police use of force changed
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Sergeant Martyn Blake, a Metropolitan Police firearms officer, was acquitted of murder in October 2024 over the September 2022 shooting of Chris Kaba. In April 2025 the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed that he face a gross misconduct hearing. After rules changed on 30 June 2026 so that use-of-force misconduct is judged on the criminal-law self-defence test instead of the civil test, the IOPC announced in early August 2026 it had found no exceptional circumstances to continue and withdrew the proceedings. INQUEST said the decision shows reluctance to provide independent oversight; the Met Commissioner said it ended almost four years of uncertainty for the officer.
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- inquest.org.uk
IOPC formally dropped gross misconduct proceedings against Blake
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