Now paying a hefty price for the crimes of their friend, these are Raoul Moat’s accomplices Karl Ness and Qhuram Awan.
As the gunman evaded the police officers that were hunting him, it quickly became clear he was unlikely to have been acting alone.
But just who are the sidekicks that helped Moat carry out his deadly attacks and then stay on the run for a week? And what could have possibly motivated them to get embroiled in his violent plan?
Read more: How tragic PC David Rathband's spiralled after Raoul Moat shooting
Moat became Britain's most wanted fugitive after murdering Christopher Brown,29, and seriously injuring his ex Samantha Stobbart, 22, with a sawn-off shotgun, in Birtley, Gateshead, during the early hours of July 3, 2010.
Then less than 24 hours later he blasted traffic cop PC David Rathband twice in the face, in Newcastle, before fleeing to Rothbury.
The 37-year-old, from Fenham, Newcastle, remained on the run for a week before eventually shooting himself on the banks of the River Coquet.
The roles Ness and Awan played in Moat’s madness were not revealed until the pair stood trial accused of crimes Moat would no doubt have been charged with had he not killed himself.
Ness, then 27, and 24-year-old Awan, were convicted of conspiracy to murder police officers and the attempted murder of PC David Rathband in 2011. Ness was also convicted of murdering Christopher, despite not pulling the trigger.
Both were jailed for life, with Ness, of Dudley, North Tyneside, ordered to serve a minimum of 40 years while Awan, of Blyth, Northumberland, must serve a minimum of 20 years.
Ness later failed in a bid to have the minimum term of his sentence reduced after Court of Appeal judges rejected his claims that it was "excessive".
Speaking on the tenth anniversary of the manhunt Neil Adamson, who led the search for Moat explained the roles the duo played.
The retired Northumbria Police Chief Superintendent said: "Within a very short amount of time it became apparent to us there were other people with Moat.
It became apparent they [Ness and Awan] had dropped off letters to their families trying to convince everyone they were being held hostage by Moat.
"That issue presented a challenge as national protocol for hostage-taking is that you treat it as genuine until you can prove otherwise. We had to hold off-the-record briefings to let the press know about the potential for hostages, but we always suspected these were accomplices."
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Ness helped Moat plan and carry out Christopher's murder.
After that, Awan ferried Moat and Ness to their hideout in Northumberland, before coming back to Newcastle the following night looking for police to shoot, with Moat shooting PC Rathband as his accomplices waited in Awan’s car.
During the pair’s trial, it was said Moat started planning his shooting spree while in prison. Ness, who had worked with Moat when he ran a tree surgery business, helped source the gun, spied on Samantha and researched the identity of her new lover online.
Both Ness and Awan were there when Moat robbed a chip shop in Seaton Delaval.
The men claimed they were being held hostage by Moat and were too scared to call the police. At first, this claim was taken seriously by officers and it sparked a media blackout as detectives worked to secure the safety of Moat’s alleged captives.
Both Ness and Awan sent letters to family members telling of their supposed plight. In a note to his sister, Ness claimed he was being held against his will but that Moat was a "nice bloke".
He said: “Don’t be alarmed but I’m being held hostage by Raoul. You probably seen [sic] on the TV what happened in Birtley. I’m being treated like a gent, Raoul is a nice bloke but he has problems. I don’t know when this will end but don’t go to the police or all hell will break loose.”
In another letter, he wrote: “He has me as a hostage and my friend, who is the driver. He is going to kill as many police as he can then gun down himself. Tell my mam not to worry.”
However, it was later revealed that the pair helped Moat set up a secret camp in a field outside Rothbury and went shopping for supplies without Moat - but never raised the alarm. The jury rejected their hostage claims, believing both Ness and Awan had been willing accomplices of Moat.
So just why did these two men become embroiled in Moat’s madness?
Ness, who later married his long-term partner in prison, was said to idolise the bouncer.
His mum, Maureen, told Newcastle Crown Court how her son, who was a bit of a "loner", had both admired and feared the killer. She said: “If Karl mentioned Raoul I would say ‘don’t go’ or ‘don’t have anything to do with him’, because I didn’t think he was any good.
Karl took no notice, he just said, ‘It’s OK, mam’. I think he admired Raoul but on the other hand I think he was also in fear of him.
“It was as if he had to do as he was told. I had thought that for a long time. I think it was as if Raoul said ‘Karl we are doing this and going there’ and Karl would say ‘OK’ and would be led on.”
While giving evidence in court, Ness claimed to be frightened of Moat and told of his supposed horror at his friend’s actions.
He said: “I was shocked about what Raoul had done, it was just a horrible feeling. He was a friend but he just lost it. He had always been fine with me but after what he did, I thought he was a monster.
“It was a terrifying ordeal, I was very frightened for my family’s welfare. Raoul was a big man and intimidating and at this point he was mentally unstable and unpredictable.”
Awan’s family claim he had met Moat through work colleague Ness just hours before the shootings. His sister, Sadaf Awan-Furness, told the Chronicle that her mechanic brother’s involvement in Moat’s crimes was completely out of character.
She said: “Karl just asked him to come to his girlfriend’s house and off he went. Moat was there and had threatened Karl and his girlfriend and then he threatened my brother as well. He is the baby of the family. He has never been in trouble with anyone or anything. He is not aggressive, he is not violent, he just looks big and powerful.
“The only person who is at fault here is Raoul Moat. If it hadn’t been for Karl my brother wouldn’t have got involved but again, if it hadn’t been for Raoul, Karl wouldn’t have got involved.”
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