New tapes reveal Raoul Moat's frustrations

Jul 16 2010 by Phil Doherty, The Journal

GUNMAN Raoul Moat threatened staff from a local authority accusing them of lying and being “more bent than the police”.

The former nightclub doorman’s frustrations with social workers were captured in conversations he recorded on a secret microphone.

Newcastle City Council was so concerned the 37-year-old father-of-three would target staff after shooting his ex-partner, her new boyfriend and a policeman that, as previously reported in The Journal, it closed several council buildings while police hunted him.

Last night, ITV News played further extracts from tapes it obtained from a friend of Moat’s.

In one telephone conversation with a social worker, recorded in February this year, Moat said: “Yous are bare-faced liars. You’ve been caught time after time.

“Charges have been dropped because you keep telling lies. You see this business in here . . . This organisation . . . more bent than the police. I’ve never come across anything like it.

“I was up in court on two charges for allegations that social had made, that are proven to be false in court through CCTV through all the recordings and I’m still getting crucified for it now.”

The former nightclub doorman concluded: “OK. That’s another contact not taking place for the fifth time since the New Year. Marvellous.” The recordings were handed to ITV News by a friend of Moat’s who wanted him to be seen differently from the person portrayed in the last week.

In a separate conversation with a social worker, Moat is heard to say: “I’ve had enough of the way yous are going on . . . at no point have I raised my voice or intimidated her or mentioned where she lives or mentioned about how much money she gets and I can prove this 100%. It’s not a fuzzy recording it’s absolute crystal clarity.”

Martin Surtees, of Newcastle City Council’s Children Services directorate, confirmed the council had “extensive contact” with Moat across a range of council services over a number of years.