Tango 190 David Rathband Story

In my world the word hero is way over-used. In the real world, it s the absolute minimum requirement for PC David Rathband. ALAN SHEARER David Rathband was a hero in the North East where he lived and was on the path to becoming a national treasure. His death in February this year was an incomparable tragedy, particularly in light of his achievements in both seemingly putting his life back together in the wake of terrible injury and in his determination to help others in a similar situation. His relentless public work with and for the Blue Lamp Foundation, the charity he set up to help servicemen injured in the line of duty, and the courageous rebuilding of his life drew public admiration. A complex and charismatic man, the many hundreds of people who turned up to his memorial service
at Newcastle cathedral are a testament to the depth of affection and respect in which he was held, particularly in the North East. Updated with new material by Tony Horne, his friend and co-writer, Tango 190 is Rathband s own, very personal account of his wounding by gunman Raoul Moat in the summer of 2010, the incident which originally brought him to public notice. David was blinded when Moat shot him in the face at point blank range, twenty-four hours after shooting his ex-partner and killing her lover in Gateshead. The shootings sparked the largest police manhunt in British history and ended with a stand-off between Moat and armed police, and the death of the former night club doorman. This book is David s personal account of the attack and the events surrounding it, including
his attendance at the trials of Moat s henchmen and his concerns at Northumbria police s alleged mishandling of the situation on the night of the attack. The story becomes even more poignant in the light of PC Rathband s death and his ultimate failure to recover mentally from what had happened to him, despite his heroic efforts.