Northumbria Police appeal to shooting suspect Raoul Moat

Jul 4 2010 By Evening Chronicle and Journal

POLICE have appealed to a man on the run after three people were shot to make contact with them, saying: "Enough people have been hurt."

They are hunting Raoul Thomas Moat, who is suspected of critically injuring his former partner, killing her boyfriend, and wounding a police officer.

Moat, who was released from prison on Thursday, is suspected of shooting the couple in Gateshead early on Saturday, then the officer at East Denton, Newcastle, early on Sunday.

Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Adamson said Moat mistakenly believed that his former partner Samantha Stobbart was having an affair with a Northumbria Police officer.

Mr Adamson said the man shot dead, Chris Brown, who had moved to the area from Slough, had never been a Northumbria Police officer and was not connected with the force in any way.

He said Miss Stobbart was injured but alive and Pc David Rathband, shot early on Sunday, was seriously injured.

"Enough people have been hurt. You need to make contact with us now," he said.

Mr Brown and Miss Stobbart were targeted in the early hours of Saturday morning, at around 2.40am, when the gunman fired a shot through Miss Stobbart's living room window in Scafell, Birtley.

Moments later her partner - a karate instructor - left the house, only to be struck down around 50 metres from the front door.

Less than 24 hours later, a man detectives identified as Moat was linked to the shooting in which Pc Rathband, married with two children, and with 10 years on the force, was seriously hurt.

The uniformed motor patrol officer was blasted as he was carrying out a "static patrol" on a roundabout joining the A1 and A69 at around 12.45am. He is currently being treated in Newcastle General Hospital.

Moat, 37, from Newcastle, had just been released from Durham prison after serving a sentence for assault. He is a former nightclub bouncer.

Temporary Chief Constable Sue Sim said that despite being seriously injured, Pc Rathband had managed to provide colleagues with extremely valuable information, "demonstrating his absolute professionalism in the most extreme circumstances".

The condition of the officer, who works in Newcastle, was described as "critical but stable".

"This was an unprovoked attack on a Northumbria Police officer as he carried out his duty," she said.

"I have personally visited David in hospital this morning and our thoughts are with his family and colleagues at this time.

"Understandably we are all shocked and upset by unfolding events, but I want to stress how proud I am of every single officer and member of staff who is involved in this incident and the way they have responded to this incident."

She added: "We are absolutely committed to finding the man who did this."

She confirmed the shooting was linked to the Gateshead incident.

Referring to the shootings in Birtley, Mr Adamson said Mr Brown was 29 and had only recently started a relationship with Miss Stobbart, who is in a critical but stable condition.

Moat had been released from prison having served a short sentence for assault, he said.

"He is clearly dangerous and under no circumstances should any member of the public approach him," he added.

Anyone with any information about him should contact the police as a matter of urgency, he added.