PC Rathband: I feared my wife would leave

Jul 3 2011 by Dan Warburton, Sunday Sun

HIS harrowing ordeal at the hands of crazed gunman Raoul Moat shocked the nation and reverberated around the globe.

Now blinded Pc David Rathband has revealed how he feared his doting wife would leave him and has spoken of life after he was targeted in one of Britain’s most notorious shooting sprees.

The hero cop’s heart-wrenching admission comes exactly 12 months after Moat stunned the region with his murderous rampage on the streets of Tyneside.

Over the past year Pc Rathband has set about rebuilding his life after shotgun pellets were peppered across his face.

In an intimate interview with his wife, Kath, by his side, Pc Rathband said: “After I’d got shot and was in a position to process thoughts correctly, I thought Kath would leave me. But she stuck with me.”

Kath said: “I don’t get cross very often but that makes me cross. It was never ever a question. We’ve been married for 20 years and our marriage vows were in sickness and in health and [he hasn’t] changed as a person.”

Northumberland’s peaceful tranquility was shattered last year when Rothbury became the focal point for the biggest manhunt in British criminal history.

Moat spent a week on the run before he was cornered in the sleepy village of Rothbury. He had earlier gone berserk after ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, 22, dumped him as he served a stint in prison.

He executed her new boyfriend Chris Brown, 29, before leaving her with serious gunshot wounds. The next evening he blasted Pc Rathband twice in the face before fleeing the scene.

Last night the traffic officer spoke of life after the shooting. He said: “It’s lonely. I’m 43, and I can’t cut the grass on my own. How sad’s that? It’s really simple.

“You wouldn’t give it a second thought, but I have to have someone help me cut the grass. I can’t walk past my garage because I’d get lost.”