Moat Friend Gives Evidence

Raoul Moat's friend has claimed his ex girlfriend deliberately wound him up hours before he launched his murderous rampage, which culminated in his death in Rothbury....

In a phone call, Samantha Stobbart told the 37-year-old she was seeing her new boyfriend that night, that she had a new hair-do for the date and asked if he was jealous about it, Anthony Wright told the inquest hearing at Newcastle Crown Court.

Coroner David Mitford asked: ``Was she deliberately trying to wind him up?''

Mr Wright, who knew Moat for 14 years from working as doormen together in Newcastle, replied: ``Oh yes, without a shadow of a doubt.''

Moat rang his friend after he had shot dead 29-year-old Chris Brown in Birtley, Gateshead, and seen Ms Stobbart crawl away after being blasted in the body, and told him ``I have done them''.

Moat told him he had two cartridges left and was undecided whether to kill himself or take on the police, the jury heard.

In fact, he had more ammunition and the next day shot unarmed PC David Rathband west of Newcastle.

Earlier raoul's half brother Angus Moat told the inquest he pleaded with police to be allowed to speak to him on the night.

The tax officer, 41, knew Moat had read reports in which his mother had claimed he would be ``better off dead'', and said he wanted to persuade the fugitive a life sentence would be ``better than death''.