UK Police Officer Cleared Of Murder After Black Man Shot Dead

Published

2 years ago

October 21, 2024

Dozens of people gathered Monday near London’s Old Bailey court after the police marksman who fatally shot a black man as he tried to stop the car he was driving was cleared of murder.

Supporters chanted “Say his name -– Chris Kaba” and “No justice -– no peace” while others held up placards saying “Justice for Chris Kaba”.

Kaba was shot dead two years in an incident in south London.

Martyn Blake, 40, had been on trial for killing the 24-year-old in the Streatham area of the British capital in September 2022. He died of a single gunshot to the head.

The police officer was earlier briefly overcome by emotion as the jury returned a not guilty verdict after about three hours’ deliberation at the central London court.

Kaba’s family meanwhile sat in stony silence and gave no immediate reaction but said later they were “devastated” and promised to fight on for “justice”.

Temi Mwale and Kayza Rose, of the Justice For Chris Kaba Campaign, said the acquittal was “painful proof that our lives are not valued by this system.

“This outcome reinforces the harsh reality that police can kill without consequence,” they added in a statement.

Kaba’s death prompted protests from his family and friends, who have been supported by Inquest, which campaigns on state-related deaths, including at the hands of police.

“We know that Chris’ death is not an isolated case but part of systemic racism and stereotyping that equates black men with dangerousness,” said Inquest director Deborah Coles.

“For decades, black men have disproportionately been killed by the police.”

– ‘Split second decision’ –
The decision to charge Blake saw dozens of his firearms colleagues in the Metropolitan Police force stop work in protest and the army put on standby to replace them.

Officers would be put off volunteering for firearms training if they feared being embroiled in lengthy court cases when a fatal shooting took place, they argued.

Reacting to the verdict, Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said Blake had paid “a huge personal and professional sacrifice” since the shooting.

He said the officer had made “a split second decision on what he believed was necessary to protect his colleagues and to protect London”.

No officer was above the law, he said, but the system for holding police to account was “broken”.

“I worry about the lack of support officers face for doing their best, but most of all, I worry for the public,” he said.

“The more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime that risks London becoming less safe,” he added.

Prosecutors had argued that the shooting was “not reasonably justified or justifiable”.

Police in England, Scotland and Wales are not routinely armed and only a small proportion are authorised to carry guns.

In the year to March 2023, official figures showed that there were 18,395 police firearms operations and police weapons were deliberately fired in 10 of these incidents, with three fatalities.

Blake shot Kaba through the front windscreen of an Audi Q8 car, which had been used as a getaway vehicle in a shooting the previous evening.

It had been blocked by other police vehicles when it was identified and the court was told that Kaba tried to ram his way free.

Blake told jurors he opened fire to stop the car, as he feared one of his colleagues could be killed.

Woman Passes Out After Receiving 100 Strokes Of Cane

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

A woman has passed out after she and her partner were each flogged 100 times in public for engaging in sex outside marriage under strict Sharia laws in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was later carried away after the punishment was carried out in Banda Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra island on Thursday.

A masked official dressed in brown robes administered the caning before members of the public who gathered to witness the punishment.

Her partner was also seen wincing in pain while receiving the lashes.

The pair were among several individuals punished for violating Sharia regulations in the province.

Authorities from the Banda Aceh Sharia Court and the Prosecutor’s Office handed down punishments ranging from 25 to 100 lashes for offences including extramarital sex allegedly arranged through online applications.

Aceh remains the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia operating under Sharia law, where unmarried couples are prohibited from having sexual relations.

Caning is commonly used in the province as punishment for offences such as gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations and sex outside marriage.

Under Aceh’s Sharia regulations, child rape offenders face some of the harshest penalties, including up to 200 strokes of the cane, a prison sentence of as long as 200 months or fines equivalent to two kilograms of gold.

The punishments are usually carried out publicly as a way of shaming offenders in addition to inflicting physical pain.

Such canings are often conducted outside mosques or in open public spaces, with residents watching and taking photographs during the exercise.

Human rights organisations have continued to condemn the practice, arguing that it causes emotional trauma and violates international human rights standards.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised the punishments, saying they conflict with Indonesia’s constitution and global legal obligations.

Amnesty said in a statement: “Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.

‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’”

Despite the criticism, local authorities have defended the punishments as part of Aceh’s religious and cultural identity, insisting they serve as a deterrent against immoral behaviour.

Earlier in January, another couple in the province reportedly received 140 lashes each after being found guilty of drinking alcohol and engaging in sex outside marriage.

(Daily Mail)

Headline

Senegal’s President Sacks Prime Minister After Months-long Feud

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government following months of rising political tension between the two former allies.

The decision was announced in a surprise decree read on national television by a presidential aide, stating that Faye had “ended the duties” of Sonko and “consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government”.

Sonko, who remains a highly influential figure among Senegal’s youth, responded on social media, saying he would “sleep with a light heart”.

The political fallout comes at a time of growing economic strain in the country, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) putting Senegal’s public debt at 132% of its GDP.

His removal followed a tense parliamentary session on Tuesday, where Sonko openly criticised President Faye’s handling of the debt situation.

The development is striking given that Faye’s rise to power was largely tied to Sonko’s popularity and political backing.

Sonko would almost certainly have contested the presidency himself in 2024, but was barred from the race due to a defamation conviction. Instead, he threw his support behind Faye, rallying voters with the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye”.

The alliance helped unseat former President Macky Sall in a dramatic electoral victory, despite both men having been released from prison only days before the vote.

Tensions between the two leaders had been building for months, with Faye reportedly accusing Sonko of excessive dominance within the ruling Pastef party, while Sonko accused the president of weak leadership and failing to defend him against critics.

(BBC News)

Headline

Six Nigerians Arrested In Thailand Over AI-Powered Romance Scam

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Six Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the Thailand Police Force for allegedly operating an AI-powered deepfake romance scam syndicate from a luxury condominium along the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province, following a cocaine trafficking investigation that exposed their activities.

Thai authorities said the operation began after police arrested a Nigerian suspect identified as Patrick and three associates in April over alleged drug trafficking offences. During the raid, officers reportedly seized assets valued at about 2.5 million baht.

Investigators said financial transactions linked to the suspects led them to several foreign nationals living in a high-end riverside condominium near Phra Nangklao Bridge in Nonthaburi. Police discovered that many of the occupants were staying in groups of five or six per apartment under student visas despite not being enrolled in any educational institution or engaged in lawful employment.

According to Thai police, officers executed search warrants on three condominium units on May 22. The suspects allegedly refused to open their doors, forcing authorities to break into the apartments.

Videos circulating on X captured the moment police officers forcefully gained entry into one of the apartments before arresting the suspects.

During the operation, one suspect reportedly attempted to escape by climbing over a balcony, while another was found hiding on the bathroom floor while allegedly sending warning messages to occupants in neighbouring units.

Police recovered 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers and three bank passbooks from the apartments. Authorities said some of the phones were still logged into active conversations with victims at the time of the raid.

Investigators alleged that the syndicate specialised in romance scams targeting older Thai women by using AI-generated faces and manipulated video calls to create fake online identities.

The suspects allegedly posed as pilots, United States military officers, doctors and engineers to gain the trust of victims before requesting money under false pretences.

Police said the fraudsters typically claimed that valuable packages or gifts sent to victims had been withheld by customs officials and required payment of clearance fees before release.

Authorities also said they recovered scripts for sexually explicit conversations allegedly used to emotionally manipulate victims into transferring funds. Investigators claimed the group relied heavily on artificial intelligence technology to generate realistic Western faces for fake video interactions.

Thai police said all six suspects are currently facing preliminary charges bordering on illegal association and immigration overstay, while additional fraud and romance scam charges are expected to follow as investigations continue.