Suella Braverman could be in contempt of court over comments she posted on social media concerning an ongoing murder trial, it has been suggested by a former chief prosecutor.
A Met Police officer appeared in court on Thursday in relation to the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba, 24, who was unarmed when he was shot and killed in south London last year.
The officer accused of his murder, named only as NX121 after a district judge granted an anonymity order, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the Old Bailey, with strict guidelines on the reporting of the case currently in place.
Last year, the solicitor general ordered editors, publishers and social media users not to publish material which could prejudice ongoing criminal investigations and potential prosecutions.
The Rt Hon Michael Tomlinson KC MP made it clear that “publishing this material could amount to contempt of court.”
Braverman, a former lawyer and attorney general, seems to have ignored that request, although she could have been talking in generic terms in a bid to provide reassurance to those contemplating handing in their “ticket” to use firearms.
The tweet comes after a large number of Metropolitan Police officers stepped back from firearms duties in the wake of a murder charge over a shooting.
More than 100 police officers have handed in their tickets, an accreditation to permit them to carry firearms while on the job, according to the BBC.
To deal with the police walkout, officers from neighbouring forces stepped up to help patrol the capital on Saturday night.
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