Family and friends say last farewells to gunman Moat

SOME 150 mourners attended the funeral yesterday of fugitive gunman Raoul Moat, who brought several days of terror to the Northumberland village of Rothbury.

The Who's Behind Blue Eyes played as friends and family filed into West Road Crematorium in Newcastle, less than a mile from the 37-year-old's former home.

Moat's brother Angus, 39, who had criticised police for Tasering the father of three as he took his own life with a shotgun during the final stand-off in the early hours of 11 July, was one of the pall bearers.

The funeral was held in private, with 40 members of the media camped in the crematorium grounds opposite the mourners. Many men wore all black, and some of them were powerfully built, like body builders or doormen, and may have worked with Moat.

His uncle Charlie Alexander, 72, a former warrant officer with the Royal Artillery, wore his regimental blazer and tie. Tony Laidler, a friend of Moat's, was another of the six pall bearers.

Tributes left included the word "Dad" in white carnations. A bouquet from his brother had a card reading: "Raoul, this didn't have to end like this. Sleep tight bruv, until later, Angus."

Another said: "You were always on my mind, you were always on my mind, love D."

Behind Blue Eyes was seemingly chosen to reflect the personal demons that led Moat to kill, maim and take his own life. Lines from the song include "No-one knows what it's like to be the bad man".

After the service, Mr Alexander and Angus Moat gave a brief statement to the media.

It said: "Raoul Moat, dear brother, nephew, father and friend. The Moat family and the Alexander family now ask that we be allowed to mourn Raoul's passing with privacy and with respect.

"We understand there is an element of public interest and from now on we view this as an investigation into the procedures surrounding the events of recent weeks.

"We have instructed a solicitor to act for us. We are now moved to co-operate as much as possible with the relevant authorities to allow the investigation to proceed.

"We will make no further comment regarding the ongoing inquest into the circumstances of Raoul's death."

Other mourners included Moat's former neighbour Brian Johnson, 27, of South Shields, South Tyneside, who said: "I lived next door to Raoul when he lived in Kenton. He was a good guy, friendly, but I would not ever have wanted to cross him."

Moat shot three people, injuring former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, 22, and killing her boyfriend Chris Brown, 29, in Gateshead, then leaving PC David Rathband with horrific facial injuries in Newcastle. He was on the run for more than a week.

Ms Stobbart's family were not invited to the funeral, but her half-sister Kelly Stobbart said she regretted goading Moat while he was on the run. The mother of two had predicted Moat would rather "go out in a blaze of glory" than give himself up, and she urged him to either hand himself in to police or "do the decent thing" and kill himself.

But speaking yesterday, she said: "I don't hate him and I wish he was not dead. I can't believe it has all ended like this."

Reports that friends plan to scatter his ashes in Rothbury has been met with anger.

Local councillor Steven Bridgett said: "This is attracting even more attention that we do not want. The village wants to move on. If any of his friends and family have any sense, they would know better than to do this at the site where he died and make it even more of a memorial for all the idiots who come into the village."

One 45-year-old woman travelled north from Surrey with her three teenage sons overnight yesterday to "pay her respects" to Moat, whom she did not know