Donation for Raoul Moat victim received by Lancaster Guardian

The family of PC David Rathband recently lost their high court negligence claim against his employer, Northumbria police.

In July 2010, Rathband was shot twice and left for dead by Raoul Moat, minutes after Moat had phoned 999 to say he was hunting for police. Rathband killed himself in 2012.

His siblings brought the claim, arguing that if senior officers had warned Rathband, he would not have been sitting stationary in his patrol car on a prominent Newcastle roundabout above the A1.

But Mr Justice Males, sitting at the Moot Hall in Newcastle, ruled that the claim had failed. He said the claimants must pay the force’s costs, with an interim payment of £100,000 due within 21 days.

A letter, along with a cheque for £100 was sent by Dave Lovett, of the Benfleet Glass Co Ltd.

It said: “The family of David Rathband - whatever has gone wrong with this country? I know this donation is not much, but I hope other right-minded people might respond as well.

“Let’s hope things start to improve for you this year.

Regards, Dave Lovett.”

The cheque will be sent to PC David Rathband’s Blue Lamp Foundation, which provides support to any ambulance, police or fire personnel injured in the course of duty.

In July 2010, Raoul Moat, a 37-year-old bodybuilder and former bouncer from Newcastle who had recently been released from Durham prison, shot his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart, her new partner, Christopher Brown, and PC David Rathband.

After the shootings, Moat went on the run in the countryside around Rothbury, Northumberland.

The manhunt to find him lasted nine days and having tracked him to the banks of the river Coquet, the police began to negotiate with Moat.

He killed himself with a sawn-off shotgun the next day.