Police Officer Accused of Shooting Chris Kaba Granted Bail Until Trial Next Year
A police firearms officer identified as NX121 has been released on conditional bail before his trial for the murder of Chris Kaba.
The Metropolitan Police officer, named only as NX121, appeared in the dock at the Old Bailey in central London on Thursday.
Earlier he had appeared in the dock at Westminster magistrates’ court on Thursday, as several of Mr. Kaba’s relations watched from the public gallery.
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At the Old Bailey hearing it was acknowledged that NX121 was the police officer who had fired the fatal shot into Mr. Kaba as his Audi car came to a stop in Streatham Hill, south east London, on Sep. 6, 2022.
NX121 was not given the opportunity to offer a plea but it is understood he denies murder.
The prosecutor Tom Little, KC, said the investigation was “well-advanced” and the decision to charge NX121 had come more than a year after the shooting incident.
NX121, who was represented by barrister Patrick Hill, was asked to confirm his identity in court and was then asked his date of birth.
Date of Birth not Publicly Disclosed
Mr. Hill intervened on his client’s behalf and the judge, the recorder of London, Mark Lucraft, KC, agreed that he could write his date of birth on a piece of paper and hand it to the court clerk.
Judge Lucraft then ran through the legal timetable and set a provisional trial date of Sep. 9, 2024.
Mr. Hill then formally made a bail application and Judge Lucraft granted NX121 bail on the condition that he resided at a particular address, surrendered his passport and did not apply for any new travel documents.
The case was then adjourned until a case management hearing in December.
NX121’s real name remains a secret as an application for anonymity was granted in the magistrate’s court.
Judge Lucraft will hold a special hearing on Sep. 29 to discuss a media request to lift that anonymity order.
Mr. Kaba, who was also known as Itch or Mad Itch, had been a rapper with a drill group called 67, which has been involved in a long-running feud in south London.
Six men are due to go on trial in November accused of conspiring along with Mr. Kaba to murder a man called Brendon Malutshi, who survived the shooting on Aug. 30, 2022.
The Chris Kaba shooting was the most controversial firearms incident in London since August 2011 when Mark Duggan, a member of the Tottenham Man Dem, was shot dead, triggering riots across the capital.
In the case of Mr. Duggan, the police officer who shot him, identified only as V53, was never charged and an inquest jury returned a verdict of lawful killing.
