Don’t worship a cowardly killer’
CALLS TO END ADULATION OF FUGITIVE A DECADE ON FROM SPREE
HIS crazed revenge plot left two men dead, his ex-partner seriously injured and ultimately cost him his own life.
Ten years ago Newcastle doorman Raoul Moat began a shooting spree that would spark one of Britain’s biggest ever manhunts and bring the North East to worldwide attention.
Moat, 37, remained on the run for a week after shooting his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, killing her new lover Christopher Brown and shooting and blinding traffic officer PC David Rathband.
His ability to evade capture for so long, desire for revenge against the authorities and the way he died surrounded by armed officers have made Moat something of a cult figure to some. More than 100 mourners, some with no connection to Moat, attended his funeral, tribute Facebook pages were set up by sympathisers and a makeshift shrine was created at the spot where he died.
Now, a decade on, calls have been made to end the hero-worship of one of the UK’s most infamous murderers.
And PC Rathband’s twin brother branded the gunman a “coward” as told of his ongoing torment.
Darren Rathband, 52, said: “Sadly for us and those others who have lost loved ones, due to that coward’s actions anniversaries are not good times; this one will be no different.
“Living my life without my twin brother continues to be a struggle on a daily basis. Grief is a lifelong reminder to us that we are without somebody we love.”
It was during the early hours of July 3, 2010 that Moat sparked Northumbria Police’s biggest ever search operation when he arrived in Birtley, Gateshead, with a sawn-off shotgun.
He shot 22-year-old Samantha twice, leaving her critically injured, and killed her new partner Christopher, 29.
Then, less than 24 hours later, Moat made a phone call to Northumbria Police declaring war on the force and revealed that he believed Chris had been a police officer.
Moments later he crept up on 42-year-old PC Rathband as he sat in his patrol car in Newcastle and shot him twice in the face.
The attack left the Blyth dad-of-two blind, and in 2012 he took his own life.
The search for Moat and the standoff with police that resulted in his death gripped the nation.
As armed officers hunted Moat across vast areas of countryside near Rothbury, it was revealed how he had left letters saying he intended to kill police officers.
And the Chronicle was told that his plan for revenge against the law sparked sympathy in some and that children had been heard singing nursery rhymes about Moat, who grew up in Fenham, on estates in Newcastle. Former chief constable of Northumbria Police Steve Ashman, who was ‘gold commander’ on the operation, believes the length of the hunt for Moat may have taken attention away from the suffering of his victims. And he has now called for the public to think of the pain he caused.
“Don’t worship a cowardly killer. We should remember the victims,” he said. “I think it’s a fact of modern life that because of the fast-paced world of social media these days people’s names are spread around very quickly, and in this case, he became infamous because of the week the operation lasted for.
“But ultimately, as was proven in the trial of his accomplices and the inquests, he was coward. He was a cowardly killer and he does not deserve to be remembered in any way other than as a cowardly killer. He should be remembered for the lives he has taken.”
Chi Onwurah was elected MP for Newcastle Central just weeks before Moat, who lived in her constituency, carried out his crimes.
“Raoul Moat was one of my constituents and it was very sad to see the spotlight on Newcastle for this reason,” she said.
“Being MP for Newcastle is the proudest experience of my life and to see the focus on Newcastle because of the actions of Raoul Moat was both saddening and sobering.
“I don’t understand how anyone can admire or commemorate these vicious acts. It was domestic violence, followed by attacking someone whose job is to protect and serve us. I had only been an MP for about a month and one of the first things I did was write a letter of support for David Rathband. I think you have got to remember his victims and their loved ones whose lives will never be the same again because of the actions of Raoul Moat.”
Domestic violence experts have also called for an end to the adulation of Moat. Elaine Langshaw, chief executive of the charity Newcastle Women’s Aid, has warned against portraying Moat as some kind of “action hero”. “In this case, sadly there are many victims and the fact the perpetrator had a history of domestic violence and abuse is an indicator that any...victim would be at high risk of
harm,” she said.