The widow of a Raoul Moat victim today tells how the birth of her first grandchild has transformed her family’s shattered lives – only for the new ITV drama on the monster to bring back all their pain.
Kath Rathband reveals their “frustration” at the series to be screened this week – asking why their suffering is being dragged up again.
Kath’s PC husband David was shot in the face and blinded by evil Moat after he had gunned down his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and her boyfriend Chris Brown in 2010.
It sparked a huge police manhunt that gripped Britain and ended with the cornered killer shooting himself.
David, 44, randomly shot by cop-hating Moat while sitting in his police car in Newcastle, committed suicide 19 months later unable to cope with his horrific injuries – leaving behind a devastated Kath and children Mia, then 12, and son Ashley, 17.
Now aged 24, Mia has a 15-month-old son Ronnie, finally bringing joy back into the family’s haunted lives.
Kath, 53, said: “We talk to Ronnie about David all the time, we show him photos. Mia has a teddy bear that speaks in her dad’s voice and we give that to him and let him hear his voice.
“Being a grandma to him is amazing, the best thing ever. He just brings so much joy to all of us, and I love it.
“But it is bittersweet, as David isn’t here, and I know it is one of Mia’s biggest regrets her dad won’t be there for all of the milestones in her life. It troubles her hugely.”
Ronnie was given the middle name David in honour of his tragic grandad.
“David is still very much a part of our lives. We think how lucky we were to have him,” said Kath, whose children live near her in Blyth, Northumberland.
“We don’t focus on what happened. We have moved on, which is why it is so frustrating for us that the details, already so well documented, are being brought to the forefront again.”
The primetime drama, which begins tonight, stars Matthew Stokoe as 37-year-old Moat, a former bouncer who went on his shooting spree following release from jail after an assault sentence.
Samantha, 22, mum to Moat’s child, survived after a hospital fight for life. Chris, 29, died instantly in the attack at her Gateshead home.
Kath was notified by email that the drama was being made.
She said: “When I read it the first emotions were sadness, disappointment, and worry for the kids.
“I appreciate them informing me – but what I say isn’t going to change their decision. It is what it is, but I don’t understand why they are doing this. What happened was so well documented. It’s going to be painful for me and the kids.
“We have no intention of watching it, but it still has an impact as it’s on social media, on newsfeed, it’s everywhere again.
“The kids are proud to be their dad’s children, but it can be hard for them because they carry his surname.
“They both have close circles of friends who are fully aware of what happened.” Kath says she fears the drama will raise questions over what happened: “All the ‘what ifs’, and ‘if onlys’ and how well informed people were about Moat. If people had been a bit more proactive, might these things have not happened? We’ve moved past that because we’ve had to. It doesn’t change anything, and it’s not nice to be in your own head with all these questions. Every time I see Moat’s picture, I am straight back to when it happened.
“And when that happens, it’s like a video on repeat with no pause button. You’ve got no control over it at all and it’s horrible.”
In spite of her disappointment over the drama, Kath chose not to respond to the ITV email. She said she feared her concerns being ignored would just cause further pain. She went on: “I think ITV would have been open to speaking to me – but had I voiced these concerns, I don’t think it would have changed the outcome.
“Would that have made me feel worse? I don’t know.
“If I had spoken to them, I would have asked what had driven the decision to make the programme and who would this benefit?
“Because I don’t think it will benefit anyone apart from them.
“If the object is to inform, I don’t think there is anything that could be said that hasn’t been said already.
“Even if there was, I don’t think this is the way to do it. And if it’s going to be sensationalised, I don’t think it should be given that platform. I’m not angry, because I think that’s a wasted emotion. It isn’t healthy. But none of us have come out unscathed.
“The kids lost their dad because of it, one of the most important figures in their lives, and they have grown up without him.
“They are also disappointed, and frustrated, by this. But they believe, as I do, that there’s no point in going back.
“They are very focused on moving forward. We are really fortunate that we are such a close family and that we have travelled through this process together and have, and will always, support each other. A lot of that relationship is down to David, he was really family orientated, and we always had a good relationship with the kids. For me, I am just so proud Ashley and Mia are both so well-adjusted and positive, they are really nice people.
“It would have been totally understandable if they had not been, and don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been easy. But as a family, we always encouraged them to show how you’re feeling and talk about it. And I’m so proud of how far they’ve come.”
