Other sources included a recording made by a negotiator during the final stand-off, legal letters, business documents, medical records, psychological assessments, IPCC reports, evidence presented during the inquest into Moat’s death, evidence presented during the trial of his accomplices, books, broadcast news reports, newspaper reports, and interviews.
The material was edited for legal and editorial reasons, then rearranged and reassembled for the sake of comprehension and coherence, sticking where possible to Raoul Moat’s phrasing and vocabulary, and trying to emphasise the subjects that Moat emphasised. Where clarification was required it was inserted in parentheses. If an event took place that Moat did not know about, such as the arrival of Gazza during the stand-off, it did not go in the book. The aim was to stay within Raoul Moat’s mind.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people have helped me write this book. Firstly, I would like to thank Angus Moat. When I first emailed Angus I told him I wanted to put the story in the context of the North East, but it became clear that the story was about a man rather than a region. Despite that, Angus has continued to be helpful and honest. I could not have written it without him and I am enormously thankful.
Thanks also to other interviewees: Neil Adamson, who was head of CID at Northumbria Police at the time of the shootings and who coordinated the investigation; Tony Laidler, a friend of Raoul Moat’s; Peter Blake, Raoul Moat’s biological dad; and Charles Alexander, Raoul Moat’s uncle.
I want to acknowledge some of those who appear in the book, but understandably did not want to be interviewed. I tried to contact PC David Rathband, but was told he would not want to talk about Raoul Moat. I tried to contact Christopher Brown’s mother via her solicitor, but received no reply. I tried to contact Samantha Stobbart via one of her relatives, but was told she did not want to speak to me. I spoke to someone close to Marissa, and was told she did not want to speak to me. I tried to contact Raoul Moat’s mum, but received no response. On all counts, I understood why.
I have read and watched many news reports about Raoul Moat made by journalists over the years, and greatly appreciate the work they did. Credit also to three books: Vanessa Howard’s Raoul Moat: His Short Life and Bloody Death; Ray Mears’ My Outdoor Life; and, most importantly, PC David Rathband’s Tango 190: The Gateshead Shootings and the Hunt for Raoul Moat.
Assistance was given by two coroners, Terence Carney and Karen Dilks. Thanks also to Martin Soames and James Theaker of Simons Muirhead & Burton Solicitors for their legal advice.
I want to thank the Society of Authors for giving me an Author’s Foundation grant, which helped pay some research costs. Thanks also to the staff at the Society of Authors, particularly Bryony Hall, who took time to provide expert professional advice.
A huge thank you to New Writing North. They helped me with the book at an early stage by giving me a Northern Writers Award, supported by Arts Council England. Special mention goes to Claire Malcolm and Olivia Chapman, who have given me important help and advice ever since.
Following the research, came the writing. I have been lucky to work with very talented people over the past decade and am particularly indebted to the inspirational people at Arena magazine in all departments, but I would particularly like to thank Will Storr, my former features editor, who introduced me to New Journalism and cared about magazine features like I did.
Another Arena staffer I owe enormous thanks to is Justin Quirk, a writer who not only introduced me to the books of Gordon Burn, but also read and supported my proposal, and got it to Philip Gwyn Jones, editor-at-large at Scribe UK, who commissioned it.
Thanks to everyone at Scribe, and apologies if I miss any names. Particular thanks go to Sarah Braybrooke and Molly Slight, who worked enormously hard and with ingenuity to give the book the best chance of being read. Thanks to Jenny Grigg for designing the cover. Thanks to Amanda Tokar for guidance. Thanks to Marika Webb-Pullman for copy-editing, and being kind when I asked for parts to be unedited. Thanks to Henry Rosenbloom, founder of Scribe, for agreeing to take a punt. And thanks to Philip, a very generous editor. A couple of years ago I accepted I would never find a publisher who understood what I was trying to do. I am amazed I was wrong.
Finally, the people who have known me longest and put up with me the longest. Thanks to my friends for sticking with me. Thanks to my parents and their partners. Thanks to my brothers and sisters. Thanks to my wife’s family. And most of all, thanks to my wife and children.
Contents
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Introduction
[THURSDAY JULY 1, 2010]
[FRIDAY JULY 2, 2010]
[SATURDAY JULY 3, 2010]
[SUNDAY JULY 4, 2010]
[MONDAY JULY 5, 2010]
[TUESDAY JULY 6, 2010]
[WEDNESDAY JULY 7, 2010]
[THURSDAY JULY 8, 2010]
[FRIDAY JULY 9, 2010]
[DEAD]
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
You Could Do Something Amazing with Your Life [You Are Raoul Moat] Page 13
