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Policeman feared Chris Kaba would kill, court told

A police marksman shot Chris Kaba dead believing "one or many" officers could be killed as the suspect attempted to escape at "any cost", a court has heard.

Martyn Blake, who denies murder, shot the 24-year-old in the head through the windscreen of a car during a police stop in Streatham, south London, in September 2022.

Moments before, Mr Kaba had tried to get away by driving forward and then reversing into a police car that had blocked him in, the Old Bailey heard.

Met officer accused of murder 'may have been angry'

A Metropolitan Police marksman may have been "angry, frustrated and annoyed" when he took the decision to shoot to kill Chris Kaba, a court has heard.

Martyn Blake, 40, has gone on trial at the Old Bailey charged with murdering Mr Kaba, which he denies.

The 24-year-old was in the driver's seat of an Audi car when he was shot in the head in Streatham, south London, in September 2022.

A south London council is considering plans to turn an empty police station into a luxury hotel.

A property developer has applied to Lambeth Council for permission to turn the former station on Streatham High Road into a 57-room boutique establishment.

It closed in 2015 when the police relocated to a building further down the street.

The station, built in 1921, was shut after a review by the Met and the Mayor of London concluded it was no longer meeting the force’s needs.

A man who died in a south London house fire last month has been named by detectives carrying out a murder investigation.

Basilio Dos Santos Antonio was discovered inside a multi-occupancy house in Glenister Park Road, Streatham, on 25 February.

The 49-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, the Metropolitan Police said.

Two people are due to go on trial next year charged with Mr Antonio's murder.

Detectives said Mr Antonio worked as a cleaner having moved from Brazil.

A south London council is suspending a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme after months of delays to buses.

Lambeth Council said the combination of the Streatham Wells scheme and "frequent roadworks by Thames Water and other bodies" had caused a "significant strain on bus services" on the A23.

It added the LTN would pause due to the concerns and upcoming construction.

But the council's Liberal Democrat group leader said it was an embarrassing "climbdown".

A man and a woman are due in court after being charged with the murder of another man who was found dead following a south London house fire.

The 49-year-old victim, who has not yet been named, was discovered inside a multi-occupancy house in Glenister Park Road, Streatham, on 25 February.

Mayara Loiola Ataide, 34, and Gevaldo Tavares Dos Santos, 46, have been charged with murder, police said.

A 34-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man died in a house fire in south London.

A 49-year-old man was found dead inside a multi-occupancy house in Glenister Park Road, Streatham, on Sunday evening.

The Met said the fire is thought to have been started deliberately and is being treated as suspicious.

The woman, who is in custody, was also arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, the Met said.

Officers were called to the scene at 19:07 GMT by the London Fire Brigade.

A 34-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man died in a house fire in south London.

A 49-year-old man was found dead inside a multi-occupancy house in Glenister Park Road, Streatham, on Sunday evening.

The Met said the fire is thought to have been started deliberately and is being treated as suspicious.

The woman, who is in custody, was also arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, the Met said.

Officers were called to the scene at 19:07 GMT by the London Fire Brigade.

An anonymity order preventing the naming of a Metropolitan Police firearms officer charged with murdering Chris Kaba will be lifted on 1 March, a judge has ruled.

Mr Kaba, 24, died from a single gunshot in a police operation in Streatham, south London, on 5 September 2022.

The officer's trial is set to begin on 1 October.

At the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Lucraft said the date of the lifting of the order could be reported.

Gross incompetence proceedings brought against PC Paul Fisher over a car crash have been dropped.