THE police officer shot in the face by Raoul Moat was plagued by visions of the thug after the horrific incident.
Moat, a body builder and nightclub bouncer, went on a rampage in 2010 when he shot his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and killed her new partner Christopher Brown.
Moat then shot PC David Rathband in the face. The serving police officer was left blind and later took his own life.
Moat killed himself after a six-hour standoff with police at a Northumbria beauty spot, which became a media circus.
After the shooting David spoke to ghostwriter Tony Horne about his ordeal.
Two New York cops stabbed during celebrations in Times Square
Now more than 200 hours of recordings made as Tony helped David write his book Tango 190 are being released this week via podcast The Rathband Tapes.
In the audio files, David, then 42, says: “Moat, he used to come all the time. I used to see his face, [it’s] like a death face. He has an open flap of skin from above his left eyebrow to the right hand side of his face.
“And as I look at him it opens up, and I can see inside. He’s that grey colour of death. I struggle to see faces but he’s the exception, yeah. I can see his face – as clear as day.”
In a clip recorded the day before the killer’s accomplices, Karl Ness and Qhuram Awan, were jailed in 2011, David told Tony: “I had a visit from Mr Moat. I haven’t had that for a few days or a few weeks actually.
“It’s the first time since the trial started [that] he’s come to visit me. And I was awake at four o’clock.”
David, who had arrested the thug in the past, told Tony that he believed Moat specifically targeted him.
David expressed shock when he learned from a report that senior police in the control room did not warn officers on patrol about Moat’s call declaring “war” on the force.
He added: “When I read that report, honestly, it was like hitting me with a hammer.
"You can read through the contents of the calls, what Raoul Moat said, word for word. That was the first time I knew that something had gone drastically wrong in that control room.”
David’s widow Kath, has criticised ITV for making conversational drama The Hunt for Raoul Moat, which stars Matt Stokoe.
At least nine killed after New Year's Day stampede at shopping centre
Podcaster Tony said that while the ITV drama is about Moat, his series focuses on David.
He added: “These tapes tell David’s story in his own words and reveal the true extent of what he went through after the attack. How deep the psychological impact was and how hard he struggled.
“He used to say to me when I was writing his book that he didn’t care if just one person read it. He just wanted it out there.
That is why I’m releasing these tapes now – to put his truth out there.”
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
