BBC

The police marksman who shot Chris Kaba may no longer face misconduct proceedings after the government changed the rules on how officers' use of force is judged.

Sgt Martyn Blake shot 24-year-old Kaba in Streatham, south London, in 2022 after he tried to ram his way past police cars.

Blake was cleared of murder following a trial in 2024 but was subject to a separate disciplinary hearing, which the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) paused while it waited for the changes to be published.

Smuggler accepts most of his drugs mules 'will get caught'

Drugs gangs are flooding the north of England with cheap cannabis grown overseas and sold to mimic slickly marketed, legal marijuana from the United States, a BBC investigation has learned.

A thriving black market for "Cali weed" - high-potency strains originally cultivated in licensed dispensaries in California - has prompted an unprecedented wave of smuggling from dealers growing it in countries including Thailand.

Four London theatres remain under threat from closure, redevelopment or long-term decline, according to the latest Theatres Trust At Risk Register.

This year marks 20 years of the list, which identifies theatres across the UK that require support to help secure their future. The 2026 list includes 39 venues.

The four London buildings on the register are Borough Hall, the Intimate Theatre, Tottenham Palace Theatre and Streatham Hill Theatre.

A woman who was hit by a Metropolitan Police van when she crossed the road in south London has settled a legal claim against the force for £1.3m.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was hit by the van responding to an emergency call as she crossed a road in Streatham in 2019.

Green by-elections may cost up to £250,000

Nine by-elections are to be held this summer to replace candidates voted into office at the London local elections earlier this month, some of whom were found to be ineligible to take up their posts.

Of those, eight were from the Green Party, which has been criticised by opposition parties for poor vetting procedures. The ninth was won by Labour.

Police are urging a woman they believe to have been raped in south London to come forward.

The Metropolitan Police said the attack happened outside Gaumont Place in Streatham at 05:30 BST on Tuesday.

It was not reported at the time but was later seen on CCTV footage, and police were alerted the following day.

Detectives have launched an investigation and are searching for a man described as black, of medium build and in his early 30s.

New Lambeth councillor suspended from Green Party

A newly elected Lambeth councillor was suspended from the Green Party after she allegedly made a series of antisemitic social media posts.

Saiqa Ali, 56, was elected as one of 29 Green Party councillors in the south London borough on 7 May.

However, the Lambeth Green Party has since said Ali was suspended at the time of the election and would have to either sit as an independent councillor or join a different group.

Broadcast regulator Ofcom has partially upheld a complaint from the police watchdog over a Panorama episode about the shooting of Chris Kaba.

The documentary included claims by Sal Naseem, a former London regional director for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), that a murder investigation into the police officer who shot Kaba had been launched amid pressure over potential public disorder.

The IOPC denied the claim and objected after its statement was not included in the initial broadcast, and the BBC refused to make a public apology.

Motorcyclist spared jail over death of woman, 86

A motorcyclist who knocked down and killed an 86-year-old woman as she crossed a road has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Radue Tomescu admitted causing death by careless driving after hitting Joan Brown while travelling at up to 40mph in a 30mph zone on Streatham High Road in March 2023.

The 32-year-old, from Camberley, Surrey, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

The Metropolitan Police marksman who shot and killed Chris Kaba is expected to know by the end of July whether he will have to face gross misconduct proceedings.

Kaba, 24, was shot dead in Streatham, south-east London, in September 2022 as he tried to ram his Audi past police cars that had followed him and penned him in.

Sgt Martyn Blake was cleared of murder following a trial but is waiting to find out whether he will be subject to a disciplinary hearing.