THE dank underground lair used by Raoul Moat to evade a massive manhunt for seven days was revealed for the first time yesterday.
The 3ft high storm drain, leading to a network of tunnels beneath the village of Rothbury, is on the riverbank yards from where killer Moat shot himself dead on Saturday morning after a six hour police stand-off.
One of the men who renovated the drainage system after floods in 2008 believes Moat hid in the tunnels in daylight - then emerged from a manhole in the middle of the village after dark to scavenge for food.
heat-seeking devices used by police who were hunting for him directly overhead.
He added: "If he was fishing on the river he would have known about the drains, he probably saw children going in and out of them."
The drain entrance was yesterday littered with food wrappings and empty energy-drink bottles, possibly discarded by Moat.
Locals yesterday claimed officers had searched the tunnels. Police refused to comment.
Officers were yesterday scouring the Northumbrian hillsides around Rothbury for a second weapon Moat is thought to have dumped.
It is said to be a sawn-off shotgun similar to the one he used to shoot himself in the head.
Police were also searching National Trust property Cragside House, which was briefly at the centre of the hunt for Moat.
The cordon at the riverside was removed yesterday. Bloodstains were still visible.
Moat sparked the biggest manhunt in years after he shot and wounded his ex-lover Samantha Stobbart, 22, and murdered her new boyfriend Chris Brown, 29, on Saturday July 3. The following day he shot and wounded PC David Rathband, 42.
He was run to ground around 7pm on Friday after he was spotted making a break from his lair. As armed officers poured into the village, bodybuilder Moat lay on the grass, jammed his shotgun into his neck and threatened to pull the trigger.
For the next six hours police negotiators went to extraordinary lengths to take him alive. After the first couple of hours their softly-softly approach appeared to be working.
Moat appeared to be calming down and accepted a sandwich and a drink. Three negotiators, two men and a woman, tried to form a bond with Moat by using his first name and insisting that his life did matter.
Moat continually returned to the same subject - how he had been tortured through his life by not knowing who his dad was. At one stage he said: "I have no dad. Nobody cares about me. I haven't got a dad." But just before 11pm it became clear Moat's mood was changing for the worst. He began claiming his ex Sam repeatedly cheated with policemen, yelling: "If Sam hadn't shagged a copper, none of this would have happened.
"Sam betrayed me! She was shagging a lot of you cops." As negotiators again begged him to lower his weapon he screamed: "If I give myself up, I'm going to spend the rest of my life in a stinking rotten jail cell."
As he got agitated, two "snatch squads" of three officers who had been secretly deployed in undergrowth behind Moat crept forwards.
They hoped to get close enough to leap on Moat, pinning his arms to his sides - a tactic used to deal with suicide bombers. They were within 2ft when he yelled: "Tell the kids I love them. Tell Sam I'm sorry!"
Realising he was about to shoot, marksmen in front of Moat fired their Taser stun guns in a desperate effort to immobilise him. But Moat's thick clothing stopped the 50,000 volt charge from reaching his skin. Seconds later Moat screamed: "Bastards!" - and pulled the trigger. The single blast inflicted a horrific head wound and showered officers with blood.
Despite the severity of the wound Moat was not killed instantly. He was pronounced dead at hospital at 2.20am, one hour and five minutes after he squeezed the trigger.
A police source said: "His injuries were not survivable - he pretty much blew his head off." Officers said the snatch squads showed great courage because they had to holster their weapons to crawl towards Moat. A source added: "These guys are married men with kids. No one wants to confront a man with a shotgun."
Another officer said: "Few countries would have had such concern for Moat's life. They did their very best to take him alive at great personal risk."
Around 100 villagers yesterday held an hour-long service at All Saints Church. Police last night sectioned off an area across the river from the stand-off site. It was not clear why.
view the pictures at this link.
Inside Raoul Moat’s secret sewer | The Sun |News
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The 3ft high storm drain, leading to a network of tunnels beneath the village of Rothbury, is on the riverbank yards from where killer Moat shot himself dead on Saturday morning after a six hour police stand-off.
One of the men who renovated the drainage system after floods in 2008 believes Moat hid in the tunnels in daylight - then emerged from a manhole in the middle of the village after dark to scavenge for food.
heat-seeking devices used by police who were hunting for him directly overhead.
He added: "If he was fishing on the river he would have known about the drains, he probably saw children going in and out of them."
The drain entrance was yesterday littered with food wrappings and empty energy-drink bottles, possibly discarded by Moat.
Locals yesterday claimed officers had searched the tunnels. Police refused to comment.
Officers were yesterday scouring the Northumbrian hillsides around Rothbury for a second weapon Moat is thought to have dumped.
It is said to be a sawn-off shotgun similar to the one he used to shoot himself in the head.
Police were also searching National Trust property Cragside House, which was briefly at the centre of the hunt for Moat.
The cordon at the riverside was removed yesterday. Bloodstains were still visible.
Moat sparked the biggest manhunt in years after he shot and wounded his ex-lover Samantha Stobbart, 22, and murdered her new boyfriend Chris Brown, 29, on Saturday July 3. The following day he shot and wounded PC David Rathband, 42.
He was run to ground around 7pm on Friday after he was spotted making a break from his lair. As armed officers poured into the village, bodybuilder Moat lay on the grass, jammed his shotgun into his neck and threatened to pull the trigger.
For the next six hours police negotiators went to extraordinary lengths to take him alive. After the first couple of hours their softly-softly approach appeared to be working.
Moat appeared to be calming down and accepted a sandwich and a drink. Three negotiators, two men and a woman, tried to form a bond with Moat by using his first name and insisting that his life did matter.
Moat continually returned to the same subject - how he had been tortured through his life by not knowing who his dad was. At one stage he said: "I have no dad. Nobody cares about me. I haven't got a dad." But just before 11pm it became clear Moat's mood was changing for the worst. He began claiming his ex Sam repeatedly cheated with policemen, yelling: "If Sam hadn't shagged a copper, none of this would have happened.
"Sam betrayed me! She was shagging a lot of you cops." As negotiators again begged him to lower his weapon he screamed: "If I give myself up, I'm going to spend the rest of my life in a stinking rotten jail cell."
As he got agitated, two "snatch squads" of three officers who had been secretly deployed in undergrowth behind Moat crept forwards.
They hoped to get close enough to leap on Moat, pinning his arms to his sides - a tactic used to deal with suicide bombers. They were within 2ft when he yelled: "Tell the kids I love them. Tell Sam I'm sorry!"
Realising he was about to shoot, marksmen in front of Moat fired their Taser stun guns in a desperate effort to immobilise him. But Moat's thick clothing stopped the 50,000 volt charge from reaching his skin. Seconds later Moat screamed: "Bastards!" - and pulled the trigger. The single blast inflicted a horrific head wound and showered officers with blood.
Despite the severity of the wound Moat was not killed instantly. He was pronounced dead at hospital at 2.20am, one hour and five minutes after he squeezed the trigger.
A police source said: "His injuries were not survivable - he pretty much blew his head off." Officers said the snatch squads showed great courage because they had to holster their weapons to crawl towards Moat. A source added: "These guys are married men with kids. No one wants to confront a man with a shotgun."
Another officer said: "Few countries would have had such concern for Moat's life. They did their very best to take him alive at great personal risk."
Around 100 villagers yesterday held an hour-long service at All Saints Church. Police last night sectioned off an area across the river from the stand-off site. It was not clear why.
view the pictures at this link.
Inside Raoul Moat’s secret sewer | The Sun |News
NASA - Home
