What happened to Raoul Moat? Full timeline of 8-day manhunt for fugitive

Killer Raoul Moat was the subject of an eight-day manhunt by Northumbria police in 2010
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The police manhunt for former Newcastle bouncer Raoul Moat, who killed his ex-partner’s new boyfriend has been made into an ITV true crime drama. The three-part series, The Hunt for Raoul Moat, follows the eight-day operation to track down the fugitive.

One of the strangest aspects of the manhunt was the involvement of former Newcastle United footballer Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne. The midfielder, who also played for Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, and Everton throughout his career, attempted to speak to Moat during an intense police standoff. 

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The drama series, which is available to watch on ITVX now, stars Matt Stokoe as Moat and Sally Messham as Samantha Stobbart, but does not feature anyone in the role of Gazza. Executive producer, Jake Lushington, said that no-one was cast to play Gascoigne because “the surprise brief and not very successful intervention from someone famous … didn't change the events at all.”

Instead, the series focuses on the decisions made by police officers at the scene as they attempted to prioritise public safety and locate and stop an unstable killer before he could harm anyone else. 

This is everything you need to know about the Raoul Moat manhunt, and why Gascoigne does not feature in the ITV series.

Raoul Moat killed his ex-partner's boyfriend before shooting a police officerRaoul Moat killed his ex-partner's boyfriend before shooting a police officer
Raoul Moat killed his ex-partner's boyfriend before shooting a police officer

Raoul Moat manhunt timeline

1 July, 2010

  • Raoul Moat is released from Durham prison after serving an 18-week sentence for assaulting a nine year old relative.

3 July, 2010

  • Early hours - Karl Ness drives Moat to Birtley in a stolen van - Moat looks for ex-partner Samantha Stobbart and her boyfriend Chris Brown. He finds them at a neighbour’s house.
  • 2.40am - Chris and Samantha leave the house - Moat shoots Chris dead with a shotgun. Samantha is reportedly shot in the abdomen after attempting to run away. Moat flees the scene on foot.
  • 2.20pm - Police announce they are looking for Moat as he is a person of interest in the shootings.

4 July, 2010

  • 12.45am - An armed man, believed to be Moat, shoots a PC David Rathband at a roundabout in East Denton, leaving him in critical condition.
  • 6am - Police announce that Moat is a wanted man and is believed to be very dangerous.
  • 2.30pm - Northumbria Police urge the public not to approach Moat if they see him as they ramp up their manhunt.

5 July, 2010

  • 1am - Stobbart is no longer in a critical condition - she appeals to Moat to give himself up.

6 July, 2010

  • 11.20am - A two-mile exclusion zone is set up in Rothbury, Northumberland with residents advised to stay indoors.
  • 11.40am -  Police reveal that they had been dealing with a hostage situation and arrested the two men involved, but the manhunt for Moat continues.

7 July, 2010

  • Northern Ireland Police Service send 20 armoured cars to assist Northumbria Police and the Metropolitan Police send 40 armed officers.
  • Police offer a £10,000 reward for information which leads to Moat's capture.
Police attempted to apprehend Moat alive but he killed himself with a shotgunPolice attempted to apprehend Moat alive but he killed himself with a shotgun
Police attempted to apprehend Moat alive but he killed himself with a shotgun

8 July, 2010

  • 10.am - CCTV images of Moat, with a Mohican-style haircut in a Newcastle shop is released
  • 10.30am - Two men appear in court accused of being involved in Moat's conspiracy to kill policemen.
  • 2pm - Moat's uncle Charlie Alexander appeals for his nephew to give himself up.
  • 6.30pm - Police urge residents of Rothbury to stay vigilant, they agree to post officers outside local schools. 
  • 10pm - A journalist says she saw Moat in Rothbury whilst covering the story but he left the scene before she could alert police.

9 July, 2010

  • 7:27pm - Police warn Rothbury residents to stay inside whilst a major operation takes place. Armed police set up a cordon around the National Trust's Cragside Estate.
  • 8pm - Northumbria Police begin negotiating with Moat who they have tracked down to the riverbank area of Rothbury. During the negotiations, Paul Gascoigne appears at the scene with various gifts for Moat and claims to be his brother, but he is denied access by police.
  • 9pm - Witnesses report seeing the man lying on the ground with a shotgun pointed under his neck with police less than 10m from him.
  • Police shoot Moat with a taser shotgun, but it is ineffective.

10 July, 2010

  • 1.15am - After a six-hour standoff, Moat shoots himself with a shotgun.
  • 1.55am - An ambulance transports Moat to Newcastle General Hospital.
  • 2.20am - Moat is confirmed dead.

15 March, 2011

  • Karl Ness and Qhuram Awan are sentenced to minimum terms of 40 years and 20 years respectively at Newcastle crown court.

29 February, 2012

  • David Rathband, who was blinded in the shotgun attack by Moat, takes his own life. At the inquest, the coroner states: “It is difficult, if not impossible, not to view the infliction of those injuries as the first step in a series which culminated in his death.”

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