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Former cellmate Philip L’Estrange reveals how Raoul Moat found God

May 8 2011 by Rob Pattinson, Sunday Sun

Philip L'Estrange who shared a prison cell with Raoul Moat and right, Moat's name on a bible

A LAG who served time behind bars with Raoul Moat has told of the killer’s fascination with religion.

Philip L’Estrange was given a bible and Catholic rosary beads by the gunman just days before his release and shooting rampage.

The 27-year-old former inmate, who has since been released from HMP Durham, says Moat always attended church on Sundays during his stint in jail.

The bouncer, who was serving a 16-week stretch for an assault, had a collection of bibles in his cell and a Christian calendar covered in psalms on his wall.

Philip said: “I asked him for a diary and he gave me a bible.

“He had lots of them in his cell. He had a religious calendar on his wall.

“He seemed really into it all. It’s quite strange when you think about what he did. He wasn’t like that before.

“I think he was a religious man. You could only get that kind of bible by going to church.

“He went quite often, mostly on Sundays.”

Philip, of Newcastle, has also given a chilling insight into life behind bars in the days before Moat was released and during the manhunt which turned him into Britain’s most wanted man.

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