Daniel Machover and Ellie Cornish in media following prosecution verdict in Kaba case
22 Oct 2024
Head of Civil Litigation Daniel Machover and associate Ellie Cornish have been quoted in the media following the verdict in the criminal prosecution of the police officer who shot Chris Kaba.
In a prosecution brought by the CPS after an IOPC investigation, a jury at the Central Criminal Court found Police Sergeant Martyn Blake not guilty of murder.
Daniel and Ellie represent the family of Chris Kaba in the inquest into his death. After the criminal court’s verdict they said “In this case, the IOPC once again failed to treat the officers involved in a death as suspects from the start, instead labelling them as ‘significant witnesses,’ as is too often the norm.
“After any death following police contact, key officers should be treated as suspects right away, with their status changed to witnesses only if appropriate after an initial investigation. Police officers expect to be treated as witnesses, but for real accountability, this needs to change within both the police and the IOPC.
“If a member of the public is directly involved in someone’s death they’re invariably treated as a suspect – why should police officers be different? Public trust depends on holding police to the same standard.
“This trial revealed that treating officers as suspects offers them better legal protection than the current ‘Post Incident Procedure,’ which applies until someone is considered a suspect. We need more trials like this, not fewer, but it requires stronger investigations and a shift in mindset at the IOPC and CPS.”
