Raoul Moat’s ex-girlfriend has criticised ITV for glorifying the killer with a three-part new series, which premiered last night (Sunday 16 April) and continues until Tuesday.
Produced by World Productions - which brought us popular dramas including Line of Duty and Vigil - The Hunt For Raoul Moat 'shines a light on the human tragedies that lay behind Britain’s biggest manhunt’, told through the eyes of ‘those who sought to bring a violent killer to justice'.
After being released from Durham Prison in July 2010, Moat shot and wounded ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and killed her new partner Chris Brown. He also injured police officer David Rathband before eventually shooting himself after a tense stand-off with Northumbria Police.
Rathband, who was blinded in the incident, later died by suicide.
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Starring Matt Stokoe as the titular killer, the new programme focuses not only on the innocent victims of Moat’s crimes, but also the police officers who put themselves in the firing line to catch him, and the local journalist who sought to tell the story.
A synopsis from ITV says: “The Hunt for Raoul Moat begins with Moat’s ex-partner Samantha piecing her life back together following Moat’s imprisonment for an assault. He is then released from HMP Durham after serving a four-month sentence. Sam has a new boyfriend, Chris, and she is terrified of Moat’s return.
“Despite making serious threats against Sam from inside prison, the former Newcastle doorman is hellbent on rekindling their relationship. When he realises that isn’t going to happen, Moat equips himself with a shotgun to confront Sam and her new partner.”
The first part of the three-part drama aired last night on ITV, and continues this evening before concluding on Tuesday night.
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But while the TV event has been drawing in viewers, one of Moat's former partners has criticised the show for glorifying him.
Caroline Dodd, who was with Moat for a year and is mother to his eldest child, 24-year-old Katelaine Fitzpatrick, told The Sun: "This series will throw Raoul Moat back into the limelight and glorify his crimes.
"He would have loved it. He doesn't deserve that, or the admiration that comes with it. He was referred to as a 'hero' at the time and this will bring that back.
"He should never be seen as a role model. He was a narcissist and a bully. He has always been violent, scary and aggressive. He was abusive to me and many other partners.
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"This is not just a drama, it happened to real people who are still trying to heal."
Dodd says she still suffers from PTSD, depression and anxiety ‘as a result of Raoul's abuse’.
"Even now I think 'it could have been me',” she continued. "It wouldn't surprise me if I was on his hit list.
"I had an injunction against him because of the abuse which interfered with his bouncer job. I only found out how close I was to him after I was swept away into protective custody while he was on the run.
"I had just returned from a holiday with the kids. It was a very normal day, we had got the shopping in and unpacked it.
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"I switched on the telly and heard about the murders and moments later the police rang telling us we needed to leave in case he came after us.
"It was completely surreal."
Kevin Sampson, who wrote the ITV programme, said he hopes the project will contribute to ‘condemning’ violence against women.
He said: "The hunt for Raoul Moat gripped me from the start, as it was the first such case to be covered ‘live’ by the new 24-hour news channels in the UK.
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"Even then, it interested me that Moat was being portrayed by some as a ‘legend’ in spite of the brutality of his crimes.
"In 2022, violence against women remains rife and is all too often accompanied by a victim-blaming agenda. I hope this drama will go some way to condemning this narrative.”
In a previous statement to LADbible, ITV said: "World Productions contacted all the families affected by Raoul Moat’s crimes."
LADbible has reached out to ITV for further comment.
Topics: TV and Film, UK News, ITV
Jess Hardiman