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The daughter of PC David Rathband, who was shot in the face and blinded by killer Raoul Moat and later killed himself as a result of his disability, has said that ITV's three-part drama is very 'painful' and she doesn't 'understand why it's needed'.
The then 42-year-old police officer was shot twice in the face at close range and blinded by bodybuilder and former bouncer, Raoul Moat.
Despite being hailed a hero, robbed of his sight and his career, the police officer struggled to cope with his disability for two years before tragically taking his own life in 2012.
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And now, in her first interview since the tragic events, his now 24-year-old daughter has explained that her dad wasn't supposed to be working that night but had picked up an extra shift.
Meanwhile, a then 12-year-old Mia Rathband was celebrating her birthday with a sleepover at a friend's house.
But she described sensing that all was not well when she woke up in the night, telling the Daily Mail: "I do remember feeling that something wasn't right. My mum wasn't there, but one of our neighbours was.
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"She said Mum was at the hospital because my dad had had an accident at work. I thought it was a car accident, because he was a traffic officer."
She recalled being told of the incident and how 'your dad doesn't look the same', describing the moment she arrived at the hospital.
"You know in films where everything around you stops? It was like that. I don't think I could even process it."
Also speaking about ITV's new drama series The Hunt For Raoul Moat, Mia has said she refuses to watch the events surrounding her dad's injuries and suicide served up as entertainment.
"I know it's a thing now. When you turn on Netflix, you get all these True Crime programmes, but a lot of them are from years and years ago," she said.
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"This wasn't that long ago. I don't understand why it is needed. By putting it all out there again, you force everyone to relive it. Everything associated with it was — and is — painful."
After being released from Durham Prison in July 2010, Moat was already on the run after injuring his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and killing her new partner, Chris Brown, in an initial shooting.
The spree sparked one of the most notorious manhunts in living memory and culminated in Moat being cornered by Northumbria police before shooting himself, ending his own life - but for PC Rathband, who Moat blasted at random in his parked patrol car, the agony was more drawn out.
The new series, which ends tonight, dramatises Moat's terrifying rampage and David's twin brother, Darren, said 'the victims were never a priority' when it came to making the drama.
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"This ITV drama should be a comedy — or at least a parody set with the Benny Hill theme music," he said speaking to The Sun.
“The victims were never a priority. ITV have ignored the sentiment, and have paid the relatives lip service.”
LADbible has contacted ITV for comment.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo / PATopics: TV and Film, True Crime, UK News