... Sunday April 16th 9pm. A true story so crazy people would think it was too far fetched if it was a drama. It was obviously tragic but hilariously funny at the same time, it had the lot. My favourite bit was when a news reporter, in Rothbury, was asking a local woman if she was frightened ... ... "Well I am, to be honest hinny, these police are driving through the village like lunatics!"
My best memory was while watching Sky News the yellow ticker at the bottom was saying that Gazza had turned up. I was like...wtf!
He was however a nasty piece of work... A murderer and beat people up... should have been shot a lot earlier before the circus took over. Chief Constable at the time, generally thought of as a muppet.... the fun and games down to her, way out of her depth
To the point now that it's referenced now anytime anyone is under severe pressure or embattled. A living meme.
She's not a good look though...not someone who would fill you full of confidence, her interviews at the time bordered on the pantomime.
The police came out of it badly tbh. At the same time Moat was living, undercover in Rothbury, the police kept missing him and allowed the place to become flooded with camera vans, reporters and Queen Kay Burley ... ... then some local nutter turned up claiming to have known Moat from the doors in Newcastle. It was all a pack of ridiculous pack of lies which only added to the mad saga.
I was at graft, pretty sure it was a Friday night, we were in the canteen, news had broke that he had been cornered next the river.... we never went back to work that night, everyone just sat watching.
Lots of people could... Iirc got paid off early, but with a full pension If you cock-up, cock-up big... and so you get away with it.
Some may remember in London years ago, a small, effectively white, Brazilian man was shot by police in a tube station. Police has been watching a multi-occupied house for a tall 6ft + blackman likely a terrorist. The police opened fire, on the small white man, on the orders of gold/silver command. That women became Chief of the Met and was elbowed out by the Mayor of London a short while ago after a series of cock-ups. You could not make it up, if writing fiction.
Can't mate, was told stuff in confidence. But, if you want to know why Gateshead Police station doesn't have a custody suit, look to her.