Without in any way condoning the suffering he inflicted on others, how much emotional pain was Raoul Moat in? Read this from the BBC News account of his death:

A guest-house owner, who did not want to be named, told the BBC: “He actually said, the one thing that sticks in my mind, ‘I haven’t got a dad’… and he also said that, ‘nobody cares about me’.”

I repeat: I don’t condone anything Moat did. I am not making excuses for murder and attempted murder. But unresolved emotional pain wreaks havoc in people’s lives – and through them, in others, too.

UPDATE, 15th July 2010: Just thought I’d link to two stories that pertain to some of the discussion below: Raoul Moat tribute page removed and Gunman Roaul Moat asked for psychiatric help.