In which I back-pedal on the subject of Raoul Moat

Hmmm. I’m a big believer in challenging yourself and things you’ve said. It’s good for the soul not to get trapped by your own thinking.

Last week I kind-of argued that some people would inevitably feel some sympathy with Raoul Moat – particularly people who knew him as a friend or family member. And from that, it followed that David Cameron had no right to say that “no one should feel sympathy for Raoul Moat”.

I still stand by that line of reasoning, but on reflection I realise I’ve fallen into the same trap that lawmakers and bleeding-heart media sympathisers have been doing for years. I suppose after diligently reading the ever-so-reasonable-and-balanced output of the likes of the BBC you kind of get lulled into that mindset and lose sight of some very horrible realities about a certain kind of person.

Naively I assumed that the Facebook page was set up by friends and family and had attracted some other people to it who could identify with Moat in some way – however repellent their reason. It turns out that actually it was set up by possibly Britain’s stupidest woman.

So, by way of corrective I’ve amended yesterday’s post and would like you to watch the video (actually just an audio recording) of the discussion between TalkSport’s Ian Collins and Siobhan O’Dowd – the woman who set up the “Raoul Moat Legend” Facebook page.

This woman has children of her own, and apparently would be happy for them to grow up considering Moat to be a ‘hero’ for ‘keeping the police on their toes.’ I can’t in all good conscience find any way to defend her.

So yes, she has every right to set up her Facebook group and say what she wants to say. It doesn’t change the fact that she herself is a horrible, horrible failure as a human being.

I also recommend that you join the Facebook page dedicated to PC Rathbone, who was looking for Moat, unarmed and on our behalf when Moat shot him at point-blank range in the head and blinded him for life. Maybe instead of devoting so much time talking about Moat, it would do us all well to remember those he terrified, maimed and murdered.