The announcement of two additional charges against the Southport suspect was delayed by up to a fortnight amid growing fears of a fresh wave of public disorder, it can be disclosed.
The hold-up happened as the high-profile Chris Kaba murder case was winding up and there was a real possibility that firearms police officers across the country could put down their weapons in protest at the prospect of a colleague being convicted. Kaba, a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed by an officer in Streatham, south London, in September 2022.
