DOCUMENTARY

had added small weights to the shotgun cartridges to cause maximum injury. After the murder of Chris, described by Neil as the tragedy’s “forgotten victim”, Moat calmly walked up to the window where Sam was phoning police, shot her in the stomach, then ran. Ness was parked nearby but, on hearing the shots, drove off, leaving Moat.

Moat later met up with Ness and another accomplice Qhuram Awan. All three travelled around the area in Awan’s black Lexus.

Chris, who was not a police officer, had been caught up in Moat’s insane jealousy.

Before shooting PC Rathband, Moat used a pay-as-you-go phone to call the police and say that he was “hunting for officers now”.

“He parked on a slip road out of sight of PC Rathband,” said Neil. “He sneaked up and shot David twice in the face, jumped back in the Lexus and took off into Northumberland, leaving David in agony, saying ‘I’ve been shot’ as he cried out for help on the radio. A short while later Moat again called the police callously boasting of his actions.”

An unprecedented police operation followed, as Moat had the “means, capability and obvious intention” of killing officers.

Neil had the task of finding him. “At that stage, the threat was against police, not the public” he said. Firearms officers from across the UK were called, with experts, psychologists and even TV survival expert Ray Mears.

When Awan and Ness were caught on Tuesday July 7, Moat ran off near Rothbury, Northumberland – a county with nearly 2,000 sq miles of wilderness.

“The operation’s scale was huge,” Neil recalled. “Then Home Secretary Theresa May wanted updates. People underestimated the vast search area. I’m sure some thought ‘he is only hiding in some bushes, why can’t they find him?’ Moat made significant efforts