The Hunt for Raoul Moat came to an end on Tuesday, with many viewers left disgusted and appalled by one of its closing scenes, which saw people flock to Rothbury to pay tribute to the killer who they believed was a 'hero.'
The three part drama revisits the very real events of July 2010, when Moat, just days after being released from prison in Durham, headed to Birtley to gun down Christopher Brown, the new boyfriend of his ex, Samantha Stobbart, before also firing at Samantha and leaving her hospitalised with her injuries as he went on the run.
A day later and having made threats against Northumbria Police, Moat shot and blinded PC David Rathband on the outskirts of Newcastle, before making his way to Northumberland, aided by two accomplices, who were captured by police days into the near week long man hunt for the killer.
READ MORE: ITV's Hunt for Raoul Moat leaves viewers 'sickened' by Newcastle pub scene
The mission to track down Moat came to an end on a river bank in Rothbury, when the fugitive gunman shot himself in the head, after negotiations to get him to surrender failed. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Newcastle General, with his accomplices then both sentenced to lengthy jail terms.
The final stand off between Moat and police gave The Hunt for Raoul Moat the foundations for its fraught conclusion on Tuesday night, when its last episode went out in the primetime 9pm slot. But the drama didn't end with Moat's death, instead it moved onto the trial of his accomplices and a visit Chief Supt. Neil Adamson paid to Chris Brown's family one year on.
The visit, which happened in real life, saw Chris' family speak of their frustration that he was the 'forgotten' victim in the whole case, before the penultimate scene saw Chronicle reporter Diana Barnwell interview people in July 2011, who had travelled to Rothbury to remember Moat as some kind of hero.
Taken aback by the woman's response that 'Raoul Moat was a hero' to her and her family, crime reporter Diane asked: "You see Raoul Moat as hero? I don't know if you've seen any of the photographs Raoul Moat did to his victims. This 'hero' took a mother's son away from her; he shot and maimed two other innocent victims, blasting them from point blank range...they stood no chance."
Steadfast in her own views, the woman replied: "I don't care what people think. We are here to show that Raoul Moat will never be forgotten."
The sentiments of the woman's opinion did not sit well at all with many viewers at home, with outrage on Twitter. One posted: "Worshipping Raoul Moat! Hero? FFS! The state of them!" A second reacted: "How did some see Moat as a hero ? Remembering the families who lost so much."
A third, while praising the rama as a whole, added: "Appalling to think he is some sort of hero to some. Madness."
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