Chris Kaba: Judge's chilling prediction about his future before he was shot by cop

A judge warned he would "end up dead" if he continued his life of crime before he was killed by a police marksman.

The chilling prediction came as Mr , 24, was sentenced for his involvement in a "Wild West", east London, in the early hours of December 30, 2017. He was jailed for four years at Snaresbrook Crown Court for possession of an imitation sawn-off shotgun with intent to cause fear of violence, a transcript of the hearing from 2019 reveals.

Mr Kaba had been caught on CCTV pointing the fake weapon at an unidentified gunman who was firing live rounds at him as they ran between parked cars close to a packed party, the court heard. The defendant already had a string of when Judge Murray Shanks told him he would end up dead or seriously injured if he didn't turn his life around.

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Judge Shanks said: "Even though your firearm, or imitation firearm, was not fired, this is a very serious offence…Canning Town at three o’clock in the morning is not the Wild West. We all want to live in a safe city where we can go to parties, even in Canning Town at three o’clock in the morning, without encountering people running round shooting guns at each other.

"I hope you understand how serious this is. It is completely unacceptable behaviour. You have to understand that, or you will spend the rest of your life in and out of prison or you will end up dead or maimed yourself if you keep mixing with people who get involved with firearms. I hope you understand that."

But Mr Kaba failed to heed the judge's advice and he was shot dead by Sergeant Martyn Blake, in September 2022 after the Audi he was driving was linked to a shooting the night before. He became involved in crime again after being released on licence from Pentonville Prison in north London. In August 2020, he was jailed again, this time for possession of a knife and failing to stop for police.

Mr Kaba was a rapper who performed under the names Madix or Mad Itch and was a "core member" of the 67 gang, based in Brixton Hill, south London. He was arrested for the Canning Town offence in February 2018 after a police officer with knowledge of the south London "gang and drill music scene" recognised him in the CCTV, the court heard.

The footage revealed he had driven from south London to the "large party" in a block of flats that had spilled onto the street on Butchers Road, off the Newham Way, at around 3am. Mr Kaba could be seen chasing the unknown gunman between cars as a number of shots were fired "with lots of members of the public around", the court heard. At trial, he lied that it was not him in the CCTV but he was convicted by a jury.

Details of the case can be revealed after Mr Blake, 40, was cleared of Mr Kaba's murder following a two-week trial. Jurors found the firearms officer had acted in self-defence and fear for his colleagues when he shot the driver in the head as he tried to ram his way past six patrol cars in Streatham, south London. Today an Old Bailey judge lifted a reporting restriction banning the media from disclosing Mr Kaba's previous crimes.

They include an attack on gangland rival . The Audi Q8 that he was driving when he was killed was linked to three previous firearms incidents in five months. An application had been made by Mr Kaba's mother Helen Lumuanganu to keep a ban on revealing the details in place until after any future inquest into her son's death. But this was rejected after the media successfully challenged the bid.

In a letter to the court, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy had argued that "open and transparent public disclosure" of Mr Kaba's bad character would "significantly reduce the risk of unrest on the streets of London and keep the public safe". Police officers did not know who was driving the Audi on the night Kaba died, but they did know it had been used as a getaway car in a shooting in nearby Brixton, south London, the night before.