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Kaba case traumatising, say black community leaders

Black communities in south London are really traumatised and feel they have been denied justice after a police officer was cleared of murdering Chris Kaba, community leaders have said.

About 150 people gathered for a vigil outside the Old Bailey in central London on Monday after jurors returned their verdict.

In Croydon on Tuesday, some residents were reluctant to speak to BBC London about the case, but two community leaders sat down to discuss how people were feeling.

Chris Kaba, the man shot dead by a police firearms officer in south London, was named as the gunman in a nightclub shooting days before he died, it can now be reported.

Mr Kaba was shot in the head during an armed vehicle stop in Streatham on 5 September 2022.

It can now be reported that he shot a man in both legs at the Oval Space nightclub in Hackney, east London, on 30 August 2022.

He was a rapper who performed under the names Madix or Mad Itch and was part of the 67 gang, a UK drill group and infamous gang.

Officer thought colleague hit by car in Kaba case

A firearms officer has told the Old Bailey she feared one of her colleagues had been hit by a car moments before Chris Kaba was fatally shot during a police stop.

The officer, referred to as HA10 to protect her anonymity, said it had been an “incredibly frightening” event that culminated in the death of the 24-year-old in London, on 5 September 2022.

That night, Met Police officer Martyn Blake shot Mr Kaba through the windscreen of an Audi car which had been linked to a shotgun incident the night before.

'Two thirds of respondents oppose latest LTN'

Campaigners in south London have said they plan to take the council to the High Court over the introduction of a new Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).

The West Dulwich Action Group said 67% of people who responded to a consultation about an 18-month trial on Idmiston Road "were either unhappy or very unhappy with what was proposed".

Lambeth Council's deputy leader councillor Rezina Chowdhury said "we know these things work" and that other LTNs had reduced traffic and the number of accidents.

Student creates app to improve care for black babies

A student midwife has created an app to help raise awareness of the symptoms of maternal and neonatal conditions on black and brown skin.

Ruby Jackson, 23, said she was inspired to create "Melanatal" due to a general lack of understanding about how some conditions present in people who are not white.

It will offer patients and clinicians visual guides to the signs and symptoms of conditions including jaundice, pre-eclampsia and mastitis.

Wheelchair user prevented from boarding Eurostar

A disability activist said she was prevented from boarding a Eurostar service to London because she had not booked a ramp - even though her ticket was for a wheelchair space.

Sam Jennings, 46, who uses an electric wheelchair, said staff at Gare du Nord station in Paris had "watched me queue to check in, then turned me round when I got to the front and sent me away to the office" to book a ramp.

Trains in south London will be disrupted with little to no service for nine days, Network Rail has warned.

The rail operator urged passengers in the Crystal Palace area to plan ahead during upgrade works from 24 August to 1 September.

It will be carrying out a "major track upgrade", replacing 1,500m (about 4,900ft) of track, five sets of switches and crossings and moveable rails.

No Southern Railway trains will run at West Norwood, Gipsy Hill, Birkbeck and Beckenham Junction stations during the works.

Hospital cyber-attack hampers GP blood services

Doctors' surgeries in London have continued to struggle with the impact of a cyber attack that knocked out pathology services across the area.

Synnovis, an agency which manages labs for NHS trusts and GPs in south-east London, was the victim of a hack on 3 June.

It has led to the cancellation of thousands of operations and appointments.

Blood testing remains at a fraction of its former capacity, with only urgent and critical cases being processed.

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.

They were also charged with two counts of arson with intent to endanger life.

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.

They were also charged with two counts of arson with intent to endanger life.