Raoul Moat: Countdown to a tragic finale

THE manhunt reached its end point at about 7pm on Friday, when an armed Moat came into the view of police. He took refuge on the banks of the River Coquet near a tennis court.

As he lay on his stomach beneath a tree, pointing his sawn-off shotgun at his head, snipers quickly surrounded him.

Before the terse discussions with police began, Moat cut a highly agitated and volatile figure, shouting abuse towards the police.

Officers warned him against pointing his weapon at them or he would be shot immediately.

At one point, a negotiator could be heard seeking to reassure Moat, apparently making reference to the media reports that had agitated him. "I apologise you're hearing that, that's all it is," the negotiator said.

"This is now ... Listen to me, Raoul, ignore them, ignore them. You are the most important."

For a while, it appeared that the police's approach was paying dividends.

As the night went on, Moat sat cross-legged beside the river sipping from a bottle and eating sandwiches that he had been given by the police.

Under temporary floodlights set up by the police, he talked, giving the negotiating team hope that the vigil might reach a peaceful conclusion.

Tony Laidler, a childhood friend, was brought in as negotiators attempted to dissuade Moat from committing suicide.

There was also a bizarre cameo from Paul Gascoigne, who arrived carrying a can of lager and a fishing rod.

The retired footballer brought Moat, whom he had fished with, a "can of lager, some chicken, a mobile phone and something to keep warm".

Gascoigne said: "He is willing to give in now. I just want to give him some therapy and say 'come on Moaty, it's Gazza'," before police turned him away.

Throughout the six hours of negotiations that preceded the tragic finale, officers had attempted to befriend Moat, addressing him only by his first name, while repeatedly offering assurances that he would not come to any harm.

But as darkness fell, his aggression gave way to apparent despair and helplessness. Addressing a negotiator - one of three flanked by armed police and an officer holding a Taser stun gun - Moat asked about the condition of his former girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart.

As the rain fell more heavily and it became colder, Moat's mood deteriorated and he became more aggressive. Shortly after 1am, a female negotiator politely tried to pacify the gunman and his rising temper.

The fugitive told the officers that he had no father, and no-one cared about him. The negotiators' pleas to the contrary, however, proved futile. Shortly after 1.15am, a single gunshot rang through the village, followed by shouting and the barking of police dogs.

The six-hour stand-off had reached an end. Taken by ambulance to Newcastle General Hospital, Moat was declared dead at 2.20am.