Would you still think it was "a load of bollox" if it was a relative of your sthat was murdered by this nasty a$$ piece of sh1t? I doubt it somehow.

Personally, I am please he's dead. He can't hurt anyone else. No more innocent, unsuspecting people to get shot without knowing what was happening to them.

At least he didn't go into a school and start shooting children. I'm not saying that one innocent is any more worthy than the next, but children should never be subjected to things like this. Fortunately, it didn't happen that way.

My uncle last ngiht said he though that either Moat would shoot and kill himself to avoid being caught or he'd be shot dead by police. I doubt he'd have given up his weapons at all and shooting himself shows what a coward he was. Teh fact that he shot a police officer meant that behind the scenes he'd at least have received a good few beatings whilst in custody.

Of course the poice will never publicly admit to anything like that, but it goes on here. I don't see why Northumberland should be any different.

Anyway, I'm pleased the whole thing is over and hopefully people can now begin to rebuild their lives and try to regain a little normality. My thoughts and prayers are with the whole community - particularly those people who have lost someone close to them.

Laura xx

I do feel sorry for Raoul Moat's uncle, as he was clearly upset when talking to the media today, speaking about how he wanted to go down and speak to his nephew to try and get him to give himself up. However, again, the police just couldn't risk it. If Moat had gone ballistic and shot his uncle (and it isn't outwith the realms of possibility) they would have been held accountable and their would have been a public outcry. They are damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

I think it was a case of they went and got whoever Moat wanted to see quite honestly, and maybe he didn't put in a request for the uncle I saw him being interviewed too, and I thought to myself, here we go again, oh woe is me, he said he could have "stopped" him shooting himself if he had been allowed to go, but we don't know that Moat wanted him there yet do we?! Please don't blame the police before we get the right facts, and that uncle never said why the police stopped him going, and it was probably like I said, because they only let people go who Moat had requested! Maybe he liked Gasgoine better than that Uncle, and afterall, he seems to have been blacklisted by all the rest of the family, so why is this uncle suddenly spouting off? It'll all come out in the wash, you wait and see, and I hope the police come out gleaming coz they did a darn good job in my book!

Couldn't agree more!

I read that's what he did do in the end.


Nope, so please don't twist my words. I can only go on what information has been available, but she knew his fragile state of mind and what he was capable of, you don't spend almost six years with someone and learn diddly squat. I'd have thought by that time she would have known him extremely well, and what he was capable of.

She would have had that choice, EVERYONE does. Again, not saying it's her fault but she DID lie, knowing full well what he was like and his state of mind.

Are you suggesting that my 20 stone husband should not repremand his and my children I'm not talking of slaps/smacking or hitting (so don't take that out of context) - A common assault COULD mean absolutely anything - He did at one time HAVE sole custody of some of his children..

There are many inconsistencies coming from the police, they said NO shots by them were fired, it's emerged tazers were fired on TWO occasions by the IPCC, then screaming was heard, then the sound of the gun went off from what the news is reporting.

And again, I am NOT taking sides he WAS clearly a disturbed, very mentally ill individual, imo. How the mind works with mentally ill people, is a VERY complex thing.
Two wrongs do not make a right and he should have been made fully accountable in a court of law for his actions, so saying ''glad he's dead'' fixes and solves nothing, many people out there wanting answers that are not going to get them. Even people in the area he is from and lived, even those where he died, did not want this to come to the end in the way it did.

Totally agree Nicci. Just because he is dead, means nothing, nothing is nearer solved than before, now hes dead his victims are not better off! The BF's still dead, the girl and copper are still in hospital!
He killed some one and thats terrible, we all think so. But killing him self doesnt make it better, for me it makes it worse, people need answers, people wanted justice. It will never happen now.

He was not mentally ill. Nowhere has it said he was mentally ill. That is a slur against people who are ill.
Some people make bad choices, some make good ones - despite their up-bringing, environment. Some people are resentful, jealous, bad-tempered and cruel - others aren`t. For every child from a bad home who goes wrong there are a hundred who don`t. For every child from a good home who goes off the rails there are a hundred who don`t.
I don`t understand why people are so anxious to find someone else to blame. Once someone accepts they have done the wrong thing - taken the wrong path, made the wrong choice - it is a starting point for change. If they continue to blame others (police / background / victim etc.) there can`t be any progress for that individual - or the community.

Are you a psychiatrist? Did you speak to him, deal with him, ever see him? Nope.

I'm not either but someone threatening to commit suicide is not in the right state of mind. Someone who carries out the actions he did, is not in a fit state of mind, again I will state I am not defending or saying what he did was right as it damn well wasn't. But this man was not assessed prior to his release, even after those threats were made. Someone failed somewhere on a higher level than he.

1) He was not assessed prior to his release, even after the threats he made.

2) Why if he was deemed to be so dangerous not placed under curfue and fitted with a tag, given probation, why not if all those measures had and should have been in place wasn't he moved to a halfway house somewhere else in the country? Surely if everything is as black as white as it's been printed, measures should have been taken.

Apparently he had 12 convictions, only one of which he spent time in prison for. I don't know what all those convictions were for all I do know is they weren't all down to violence. As for the shooting and injuries PC Rathband suffered, yes they are awful. But what the hell was he doing sitting alone in his car when they knew he was on the loose, armed and potentially dangerous PC Rathband had very little to defend himself and no protection. The new man who entered his ex's life should have known enough in a week to send him running for the damn hills, was he aware of the lies his new g/f had told Mr Moat about him ? I'm sure he was, those lies ultimately placed him in a position of danger and lead to his death, Mr Moat admitted in his letter had he known he wasn't a policeman he wouldn't have shot him, lets remember he had a grudge against the police for whatever reason and never in the time he was loose did he open fire on members of the general public whom it is now known he was living rough among.

It is very easy to make assumptions and speak ill of someone who is no longer here to defend themselves.

I'm not saying and never have that his actions were right and I have never defended what he has done, all I am saying is someone somewhere failed and let that man down and other people involved miserably, whether it be members of his immediate family or people in higher authority.

Exactly what I was going to say!!! He was more like a drugged up, crazed lunatic who knew exactly what he was doing, whereas mentally ill patients do not know what they are doing most of the time, they just flip, like they're split personalities.

You have even said yourself Nicci, that the reason this man was like he was is because of his bad childhood, his abuse etc. etc. not because he had mental issues, so I can't buy that!

No matter how hard you try to blame this on his mental issues or past issues, you have to also remember that there are evil people who walk amongst us, that's a fact, and he was probably one of them, and the reasons for that could be countless, but he was definitely not mentally ill, and no, I'm no psychiatrist either, but I worked that one out all on my own!

Well if Im honest, I am absolutely sick to death about hearing about a man who killed, injured, maimed and terrified people for an entire week, and now people having sympathy for this "person!" I cannot understand how anyone can defend such an abhorrent and vile man, who took pleasure from harming others. Id be happy never to hear his name again. I only wish the police ended it sooner.