As A Raoul Moat Drama Drops On ITV, Has Our Obsession With True Crime Finally Gone Too Far?

This article contains references to domestic violence and suicide. 

Raoul Moat was a “controlling and deranged misogynistic bully,” according to a senior detective who led the manhunt for the killer back in 2010. 

Moat shot his ex-partner, Samantha Stobbart, killed her partner, Chris Brown, and shot an unarmed police officer, PC David Rathband, who later died by suicide following his injuries. 

And this weekend (16 April), ITV will air a three-part dramatisation, The Hunt for Raoul Moat, about the murderous crimes that earned him this reputation. Clearly, our appetite for true crime is as strong as ever, but we're no closer to reconciling the dubious ethics of consuming it. 

Has sufficient time passed in order to justify revisiting the trauma? Were the victims properly consulted, and if so, were their voices respected? And are we prepared to deal with the ramifications that accompany the dramatisation of a real-life murderer's actions? 

Raoul Moat died 13 years ago, but his actions (and the subsequent manhunt) still loom large in the public imagination. At the time, the manhunt was the largest in modern British history, lasting nearly seven days and involving 160 armed officers and vehicles.

Moat's crimes were engulfed by the spectacle of non-stop media coverage, offering us a safe distance from the excruciating trauma inflicted on his victims and their families. Tuning in to the latest developments took on a compulsive quality. Neil Adamson, the former head of Northumbria CID, described the media coverage as “feverish,” adding that “the Sky helicopter was up before us at times.”

It's no surprise that the news story was so compelling; each time we refreshed our Twitter feed, we were sickeningly rewarded with another totally unexpected development, some of which have passed into the country's folklore. 

The gripping nature of the news story wasn't lost on Kevin Sampson, the screenwriter and executive producer behind ITV's new adaptation. "The news coverage was intense," he told The Chronicle. “A lot of the reporting was quite splashy and sensationalist, and there was the added factor of social media coverage.”

Jake Lushington, an executive producer on the show, says, “Some people say it’s too soon to tell this story. Again, that’s a very subjective point of view. For some people, something that happened in 1960  is too soon. Who’s the arbiter of that? In this case, there are some dodgy ‘folklore’ perceptions about these events. I think 13 years is enough time to have some distance from it. Although obviously not for the people affected by it. We can’t avoid that."  

He continues: “But if you left it for far too long a time, you are allowing that false understanding of the story to continue. An almost cartoon public perception of what took place. So I think this drama has value in highlighting the true facts of what happened and the impact on those involved. 

"We think it’s not too soon. A decent amount of time has passed, but it’s not been so long that people have completely forgotten it. So, it connects with an audience.”

While the average TV viewer might be ready to revisit the traumatic news story, with all its accompanying twists and turns, there's no telling how this adaption will impact Moat's victims. 

Sampson says that his “immediate aim” when writing the TV series was “to honour those three victims.” He wanted to “portray them as they were, as young, everyday people just getting on with their lives, until that basic freedom and normality was taken away from them.”

He told GLAMOUR, “In this instance, Chris Brown’s family felt that too much time had already passed. Their prime concern and a source of ongoing pain is that Chris has been overlooked if not entirely forgotten. People tend to remember the manhunt and ‘the Raoul Moat Case,’ but they can’t name the people he shot. The clear message from the Browns was that they wanted us to do justice to Christopher.” 

While Sampson's intention to honour the victims is evident, it's not yet been realised. 

Kath Rathband, PC David Rathband's widow and mother of his two children, was notified about the TV series via email. She said, “When I read it, the first emotions were sadness, disappointment, and worry for the kids (via The Mirror).”

She continued, “I appreciate them informing me – but what I say isn’t going to change their decision. It is what it is, but I don’t understand why they are doing this. What happened was so well documented. It’s going to be painful for me and the kids.”

“The Hunt for Raoul Moat is the latest in a long line of controversial projects that adapt real-life events against the wishes of some of the victims.”

Similarly, one of Samantha Stobbart's sisters, Kelly Stobbart, has said, “ITV don't realise the impact this will have on the people involved. It still gives me nightmares, and I suffer PTSD,” adding that, “My whole family and I all feel that it should be left in the past.”

Samantha's other sister, Claire, reportedly wrote on social media, “It's always the same, every year, they're trying to make a few quid. Dramas, documentaries. By 2030, it'll be a film.” 

And finally, Katelaine Fitzpatrick, Moat's daughter, has voiced concerns over the drama, telling The Sun, “This TV series is going to bring the horror back.

“For many, it will just be a crime drama on telly, but for me and his victims, and the family of his victims, this is our life.”

The dramatisation is the latest in a long line of controversial projects that adapt real-life events apparently against the wishes of some of the victims. 

In 2022, Netflix released Dahmer, a chilling depiction of a notorious serial killer, which was condemned by the family of one of his victims, who described it as “re-traumatising.” Likewise, Hulu's Pam & Tommy revisited the leaking of a sex tape featuring Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. The project went ahead despite Anderson's refusal to be involved – with the actor reportedly describing the adaption as “very painful.” 

One of the many peculiarities of the Raoul Moat case was the hero worship in the aftermath of his death. After Moat shot himself following a six-hour stand-off with Northumbria police, around 50 bouquets were left outside his home, with one note that read, “RIP Raoul. We know you did some bad things, but you didn't deserve to die, as everyone has rights (via Lancashire Telegraph).”

A Facebook group titled ‘RIP Raoul Moat You Legend’ was also created in his honour, attracting more than 30,000 contributions. Although this group was deleted by its creator following widespread condemnation, including from then-Prime Minister David Cameron, similar (though significantly less popular) groups soon replaced it, one of which still remains live on Facebook. Its description reads, “Raoul Moat's death - blame the slut ex girlfriend and the tw[*]t of a cop for tasering him.”

Given that many dramatisations of violent men (see Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy) toe an intangible line between condemnation and glorification, the sympathy – however marginal – that Moat received in death is surely a cause for concern when revisiting this story.

Sampson, the show's writer, told GLAMOUR, “Respectfully, once people have watched all three episodes and acquainted themselves with the facts, they won’t be viewing Moat in those terms.”

Jake Lushington also reflects on this legacy, noting, “This was a significant event in our public history. You can’t avoid the fact there are very unpleasant things within this story and bringing them up will remind people of those and of the person involved.”

However, he argues that the drama is “actually a huge antidote to the quite dangerous cult of personality that built up around Moat. This is a story that, unless it gets retold, would have a bad legend around it.” 

Sampson hopes that the storytelling in The Hunt for Raoul Moat “subtly invites viewers to challenge their own preconceptions,” adding, “As we’ve seen very recently with Sarah Everard, crimes against women often come with a victim-blaming narrative, too, the idea that the woman has somehow contributed to her own fate.” 

In an ideal world, this dramatisation would encourage viewers to reflect on their own assumptions about violence against women. However, Sampson's reference to Sarah Everard only raises more questions. Would it ever be considered acceptable to dramatise the trauma she and her family endured at the hands of Wayne Couzens, then a serving Met Police Officer? How can victims ever be expected to heal from trauma while it's simultaneously being mined for mainstream consumption? 

These are deeply uncomfortable questions, but given our unwavering fascination with true crime, we'll have to reckon with them sooner or later – probably before we're ready. 

An ITV spokesperson told GLAMOUR: "World Productions reached out to all the families affected by Raoul Moat’s crimes. Nobody asked them not to go ahead with the drama."

For more information about emotional abuse and domestic violence, you can call The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247.

For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.

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