Raoul Moat’s psychiatric plea in secret tapes

The fugitive gunman Raoul Moat had repeatedly appealed for psychiatric help in a series of conversations with social workers which he secretly recorded, as Channel 4 News correspondent Darshna Soni analyses how the tapes show his “deep paranoia”.

The tapes, which have been broadcast by ITV News, were part of fifty hours of recordings of conversations made by the former nightclub bouncer.

37-year-old Moat apparently shot himself on Saturday during a stand-off with armed police officers in the Northumberland town of Rothbury.

he had been the subject of a seven-day long manhunt after shooting his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart at her home in Gateshead during the early hours of Saturday 3 July, and killing her new partner Chris Brown.

Moat also shot Pc David Rathband as he sat in his police patrol car in East Denton, Newcastle on Sunday 4 July. 

In the recordings, which were handed over by a friend of Moat, he is heard in August 2009 talking about his unstable mental state, and asking social workers to get him psychiatric help.

“Why don’t we have a psychiatrist sit me down and say right OK I want to see you regularly, then we can move towards where your areas of fault are, and we can enhance on these areas you know, and work with us. This is one of the things I’m suggesting.”

“That would be the most you know. Spent some money on trying to get this family back together instead of splitting it up. It I’m at fault myself in any way I’m open to all kinds of suggestions, but I refuse to spend the rest of my time fighting with social services.”

Moat talked about making the recordings by wearing a wire. At one stage he expressed concern how the pressures on him were growing.

“I’m living my life on the edge just trying to get by on this next thing, and there’s then another one, another one, and another one.  And I mean, you know, none of this, none of this is right you know.”

The former doorman went on to set up a business as a tree surgeon, but always distrusted the police.

In a conversation, understood to be with social services last October, he claimed how officers were “always on my back”.

“You know, all I do is go out and cut trees. I started this business – I don’t particularly enjoy it, it’s not as easy as working on the doors,” he said.

It’s hard – I’ve got problems with the police, they’re always on my back you know. It just always seems to be monkeys on my back, you know – I just want to get on, I just want to get on with it, you know? I take the stress of the world and family on my shoulders.”

Responding to the recordings, Newcastle City Council acknowledged it did have extensive dealings with Raoul Moat.

In a statement, the authority said: “Newcastle City Council has had extensive contact with Raoul Moat in connection with two of his children.

“These children are currently the subject of family court proceedings that will decide their long-term future. The absolute priority of Newcastle Childrens Services throughout these proceedings has been the protection of these children.

“As part of these proceedings Newcastle City Council did commission a report from a psychologist that examined the possibility that the children might live with Mr Moat.

“This report did not recommend any treatment, but examined Mr Moat’s aggressive behaviour on the safety and wellbeing of the children.

“This report was produced for these family care proceedings and is a confidential document, therefore we are unable to comment further at this time.”

“No sympathy”

The recordings were broadcast hours after prime minister David Cameron said there should be “no sympathy” for Moat.

Flowers and cards have been left outside his former house in Fenham, Newcastle. A Facebook tribute page has also been set up.

But Mr Cameron told MPs that any sympathy should be reserved for Moat’s victims.

“It is absolutely clear that Raoul Moat was a callous murderer, full stop, end of story,” he said at Prime Minister’s Questions.

“I cannot understand any wave, however small, of public sympathy for this man.

“There should be sympathy for his victims and the havoc he wreaked in that community.

“There should be no sympathy for him.”

However Facebook refused to take down the tribute page.

While it admitted many people would find some of the topics discussed on the site “distasteful”, but added “that is not a reason in itself to stop a debate from happening”.

The deep paranoia of Raoul Moat

Raoul Moat felt the whole world was out to get him. In the last year, he had taken to secretly recording most conversations that he had with the authorities, including social services, writes Channel 4 News correspondent Darshna Soni.

In the recordings, he says: “It always seems there’s a monkey on my back.” He recorded over 50 hours onto a dictaphone, from last summer until April this year.

Moat knew himself that he was in a bad way – he says “I’m quite emotionally unstable.” Several times, he’s heard asking social workers to get him professional, psychiatric help. Moat talks of wanting to get away from it all, of setting up home in Rothbury with his ex-partner Sam.

I spent much of last week talking to those who had known the former bouncer. I found that many from his white, working class estate share a deep distrust of the police. His friends had told me that the authorities “were always out to get them.”

But Moat’s feelings ran deeper than this. He had developed a deep paranoia and admits that he had set up eight CCTV cameras around his home, some hidden in the bushes. He felt as though he was living life on the edge and says “you get to the point where happiness is neither here nor there.”