Who did Raoul Moat kill? The true story behind ITV's The Hunt for Raoul Moat

TV viewers have been asking who did Raoul Moat kill, as a new ITV series recalls the 2010 manhunt that gripped the nation.

ITV's new three-part series, The Hunt for Raoul Moat, shines a light on the largest manhunt in Britain's history, which lasted for seven days and involved 160 armed officers. It was the actions of newly-released prisoner Raoul Moat which led to the operation, after he shot three people with a sawn-off shotgun.

The series focuses on those who sought to bring the killer to justice, as well as the human tragedies, leaving many asking where Samantha is Stobbart now - Moat's ex-girlfriend - as well as wanting to know more about The Hunt for Raoul Moat's cast.

Who did Raoul Moat kill?

Raoul Moat killed 29-year-old karate instructor Chris Brown, who was dating Moat's ex-partner Samantha Stobbart. Brown was fatally shot at close range after confronting Moat for spying on the couple.

Moat then shot through the window of the home Brown and Stobbart were staying in, hitting Samantha in the arm and abdomen. She was rushed to hospital in Gateshead in critical condition and needed surgery on her liver, but survived the shooting.

Moat then went on the run, and less than 24 hours later he shot Police Constable David Rathband as he sat in a patrol car on a roundabout near East Denton, Newcastle. Rathband survived but was left with injuries to his head and upper body, and was left blinded by the incident. David Rathband died by suicide less than two years later in February 2012.

Moat apparently targeted Rathband randomly, simply for being a police officer. It has been reported that he held a grudge against the police, whom he blamed for the collapse of his business, and had made threats, in letters and phone calls to police and others on his Facebook profile.

Samantha Stobbart had told Moat that her new partner was a policeman in the hope it would convince him to stay away upon his release from prison.

Who is Raoul Moat?

Raoul Moat was a bouncer, bodybuilder and tree surgeon from Newcastle upon Tyne. He was 37-years-old when he killed Chris Brown, two days after he had been released from prison.

Moat was born in Newcastle, and he and his half-brother Angus were mostly brought up by their grandmother.

He had previously been in a six-year relationship with trainee hairdresser Samantha Stobbart, and the pair had a four-year-old daughter together.

Moat had been described as prone to "eruptions of anger", and according to Chronicle Live he had one previous conviction for common assault, but had been arrested 12 times, which resulted in him being charged with seven separate offences.

The manhunt for Raoul Moat came to an end in the early hours of July 10 2010, when, after a 6-hour stand-off with police, he turned the gun on himself. He was then taken to Newcastle General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound at 2.20am.

Why was Raoul Moat in prison?

Raoul Moat had spent time in prison prior to the manhunt for assaulting a nine-year-old relative. He had received an 18-week sentence for the offence, and served time at HMP Durham.

On 1 July 2010, Moat was released from prison, after which he reportedly posted several threats via social media to his ex-partner and the police. 

Two days after his release, he turned up at the home his ex-partner Samantha Stobbart and Chris Brown were staying at. After killing Brown, Moat spent six days on the run.

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