Tango 190

On 1 July 2010, Raoul Moat was released from Durham Prison. Within forty-eight hours he had shot his ex-partner Samantha Stobbart and brutally murdered her new boyfriend, Chris Brown. In the early hours of 4 July Police Constable David Rathband was gunned down while sitting in his patrol car in East Denton, just outside Newcastle upon Tyne. PC Rathband was blinded for life and one of the biggest manhunts in police history began, culminating in Moat's death six days later in the small Northumberland town of Rothbury. For the first time, this is PC David Rathband's story in his own words...The extraordinary events that followed PC Rathband's shooting, as police tracked Moat through towns and countryside, dominated the headlines and became one of the biggest and most controversial news stories of recent times. Often bordering on the ridiculous, it featured unexpected cameos from TV survival expert Ray Mears and former England footballer Paul Gascoigne. It ended with a stand-off between Moat and armed police on the banks of the River Coquet in Rothbury. In the middle of it all was PC David Rathband, a dignified presence throughout.
Tango 190 is his personal account of the attack and the events surrounding it. It is also the story of his physical recuperation and the gradual and courageous rebuilding of his life, with the help of his family, in the wake of terrible injuries sustained in the line of duty. PC David Rathband's courage, fortitude and good humour in the light of his horrifying ordeal are extraordinary. This book tells David's own story, and it is truly a remarkable one.