ITV has recreated one of Britain’s most remarkable manhunts for an all-new TV drama.
Sitting on the grass with a sawn-off shotgun, actor Matt Stokoe, 33, was yesterday pictured playing the killer Raoul Moat in his final moments before he took his own life.
Moat (37), a former bouncer, fatally shot Samantha Stobbart and killed Chris Brown. It happened in the wee hours of the morning of July 3.
The fugitive called 999 just after midnight on the following day to inform police that he was looking for officers.
Moat saw PC David Rathband in his patrol car at a roundabout near Newcastle. He crept up to the vehicle, and then he blasted him in face.
Rathband, who was left blinded by the attack, took his own life in February 2012.
Moat sought refuge in Rothbury with his accomplices, Northumberland. But, the actions of Moat set off one of America’s most notorious manhunts.
The country’s police were drafted into the operation, Ray Mears, a survival expert, was called in to help identify where Moat might be fleeing to. RAF planes equipped with heat-seeking camera were also deployed in the North East of England to search for the murderer.
Following a five-hour struggle, the thug finally surrendered to armed police.
Pictured: Raoul Moat (37 at the time) in his mugshot from an earlier conviction
Raoul Moat, armed with a shotgun in his hand after being confronted at Rothbury by police. The Telegraph
Stokoe is well-known for his roles on the Channel 4 series Misfits and the BBC series Bodyguard. Sky’s Jamestown also featured Stokoe.
Actor Matt Stokoe (33), was seen sitting on the ground with a saw-off shotgun. He played Raoul Moat, the murderer, in the final minutes of his life.
ITV’s drama will follow the story of one the UK’s most notorious manhunts. Stokoe played the leading role in these scenes. Filming took place this week and featured actors posing in the role of police officers.
Picture of police during confrontation with Raoul Moat in July 2010.
Stokoe is well-known for his roles on the Channel 4 series Misfits and the BBC series Bodyguard. Josef Davies (Chernobyl), Sally Messham and Josef Davies will portray Moat’s ex lover Stobbart, and the murder victim Brown.
The A Word’s Lee Ingleby will star as Northumbria Police officer Neil Adamson. Adamson was one of the key police officers who searched for Moat during his escape from capture.
Vineeta and Sonya Rishi, from The Last Kingdom (Holby City), were also announced as members of the cast.
The series is titled “The Hunt for Raoul Moat”, but a release date has yet to be announced.
Moat was born 1973. His grandmother bought him up in Newcastle’s West End where he lived just two doors from his parents Josephine and Brian Healey.
Moat was regarded widely as a man of explosive temper. A muscle-bound bodybuilder dependent on steroids and antidepressants, Moat could turn at any moment.
Many members of Moat’s family, who suffered from the horrific rampage that killed their son in the end, have spoken out about the hurt they feel today.
Speaking out for the first time in 2020 – a decade on from her father’s killing spree – Katelaine Fitzpatrick told The Mirror about her lasting feelings of shame, disgust and abandonment.
Sally Messham (pictured right) has agreed to portray Samantha Stobbart’s ex-lover, Moat, after she was shot in the stomach.
Policeman PC David Rathband (44), who had been left blind by Raoul Moat’s shooting in 2010, was hanged at his Northumberland home in Blyth in 2012.
“I have deepest sympathy for those he has caused pain.” Katelaine was eleven years old at the time. She said that she would have loved to be able to visit the families of the victims and express my sincere condolences for his actions and showed compassion.
“Seeing his flesh and blood makes me sick at times. It’s difficult for me to believe I exist. That man is the reason I am unable to believe it.
Katelaine stated, “I’m glad that I didn’t get to know him. That’s how I came to be the person and person I am today, despite what I have gone through.”
Moat refused every opportunity to meet his daughter, and had not spoken with her before the attacks.
Katelaine said that she was a victim of bullying during school because Moat made cruel remarks about her.
Moat’s mother Josephine Healey made her first public statement to the media just months before Katelaine gave her first interview.
Healey stated to the Mirror, April 2020: “He is not my boy.”
Moat was widely known as an explosive man, a bodybuilder who was addicted to anti-depressants and steroids. He could also flip in a split second.
Left to right: Step dad Brian Healey; Mum Josephine Healey; Raoul Moat (aged 13), and Brother Angus Moat during Josephine Moat & Brian Healey’s wedding in 1986.
Moat’s daughter Katelaine Fitzpatrick, (pictured in 2010 together with her mom) stated in 2020 that he had hurt so many people. If I could have the opportunity to speak with the families of the victims, say my sincere apologies for his actions, and show compassion, I would.
The incident caused her a lot of problems and she said that abusive messages continue to be sent through her mailbox.
Moat threatened to kill officers if he was caught in his crosshairs. Mrs Healey talked about the dramatic changes that her son had made.
At the tender age of 19, her son, who was gentle and kind, disappeared. He was replaced by an angry man who loathed everyone.
After a long absence, he returned to the house and made a gun gesture, before threaten to kill her.
“Why would he do this?” She asked Moat on Moat’s penultimate standoff day. “It was as if he were not my son.”
She said, “He now has an entirely different character, attitude, manner,” You can see every detail.