Pair aided Raoul Moat's bid to kill police, court told

TWO men appeared in court yesterday, accused of being "part and parcel" of fugitive gunman Raoul Moat's conspiracy to hunt down and kill policemen.

Karl Ness, 26, and Qhuram Awan, 23, who were were held on Tuesday, have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and possessing a firearm with intent.

In court, it was alleged Ness was with Moat when he shot his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and killed her new partner Chris Brown at the weekend.

Ness and Awan were detained by armed police after they were found walking along a road in Rothbury.

Ness, from Dudley in North Tyneside, and Awan, from Blyth in Northumberland, were remanded in custody when they appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court.

Reporting restrictions were lifted for the hearing during which prosecutor Paul Simpson alleged that the men supplied Moat with the gun he used in the shootings.

After shooting Miss Stobbart and Mr Brown, Moat shot and seriously injured PC David Rathband and declared war on Northumbria Police in a rambling 40-page letter.

Mr Simpson alleged in court yesterday that Ness and Awan were with him when the officer was shot in Newcastle early on Sunday.

"Mr Ness was with him (Moat] when Mr Brown was murdered. Secondly, with PC Rathband, both men (Ness and Awan] were there and thereafter they joined him to look for policemen to shoot.

"They were with him throughout."

Mr Simpson added: "What the Crown say is they were part and parcel of this conspiracy to seek down policemen and shoot them.

"Obviously, Mr Moat is still at large and the manhunt is ongoing to find him."

The court heard that even before his release from Durham Prison last Thursday, Moat had hatched a plot with his accomplices to get hold of a gun.

Mr Simpson said Moat's "grudge against policemen" prompted him to recruit the two men to help.

His plan involved the men "obtaining a sawn-off shotgun prior to his release from prison, hiding it and keeping it".

Both men have indicated they will deny the charge, the court heard.

Mark Harrison, for Ness, said: "He denies any wrong-doing but of course that will be an argument for another day."

Ness and Awan appeared sullen in the dock. Ness was bearded and stocky while Awan was shorter and sported stubble. Awan had relatives in court who waved as he was led from the dock.