Police today admitted receiving a warning that Raoul Moat may have been planning to harm his former girlfriend the day before he allegedly shot her and killed her boyfriend.
The disclosure of the warning from Durham prison prompted Northumbria police to refer the issue to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Despite an intense search, Moat has evaded officers since allegedly shooting his former girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart, and killing her partner early on Saturday.
Northumbria police said today they had received a long letter purporting to come from Moat setting out a number of grievances. He also made two 999 calls, the first of which included a threat that he was about to shoot a police officer. Twelve minutes after the call yesterday Moat is believed to have shot an officer through the passenger window of his patrol car.
On Thursday Moat posted an update on his Facebook page which read: "Just got out of jail, I've lost everything, my business, my property and to top it all off my lass of six years has gone off with someone else. I'm not 21 and I can't rebuild my life. Watch and see what happens." Later he reportedly used the site to taunt police, writing: "Ha, Ha! You can come but you can't catch me!"
Speaking at a press conference today, Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Adamson confirmed that police were investigating Moat's Facebook page. He again appealed to Moat to hand himself in and read out a statement from Stobbart, whose condition has now improved from critical to stable.
"Please give yourself up. If you still love me and our baby, you would not be doing this any more," the statement said. "When you came out of jail I said I was seeing a police officer. I said this because I was frightened. I have not been seeing a police officer."
Addressing the suspect directly, Adamson said: "Mr Moat, we are aware that you have a number of issues and grievances. Some are very private, others relate to how you feel you have been treated by us. We want to understand your position and we want you to realise that you do have a future. We can only help you do this if you make contact with us directly."
Adamson told reporters Moat's letter did not contain a "hit list" but said people identified as being at potential risk had received "appropriate" police protection.
"It's very lengthy and contains an awful lot of information which I am not prepared to go into for obvious reasons," he said.
He refused to say whether the police had warned Stobbart before the shooting that she may have been in danger.
Sue Sim, acting chief constable of Northumbria, confirmed that Durham prison had warned the force that Moat had threatened to harm Stobbart when he was released.
"We were informed on Friday afternoon by Durham prison that Mr Moat may intend to cause serious harm to his partner. We acknowledge that it is important that these matters are investigated thoroughly and I have voluntarily referred this aspect to the Independent Police Complaints Commission."
Adamson said he believed some people knew the whereabouts of Moat, and appealed to them for information. He said Moat was well-known to police and there was a "significant amount" of background information on file.
Firearms officers from several forces, including Cleveland, Humberside, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Cumbria, have been sent to the area.
Armed police later raided a property in Kinross Drive in North Kenton, Newcastle. Dozens of armed officers were involved in the operation along with a police helicopter and dog units.
Three men were led away in handcuffs and two young children – a boy and a girl – were also escorted from the address. However, the operation appeared to have been a false alarm as police later released all those concerned and they were able to return to the property.
The shootings took place after Moat was released from prison on Thursday after serving a short sentence for what police describe as a "low-level assault" on a relative. He apparently spent two days trying to find Stobbart, 22, the mother of his three-year-old daughter, Chanel, to confront her about her new relationship.
Relatives said Moat had threatened Stobbart in the past, but this had not been reported to police.
At 2.40am on Saturday Moat allegedly arrived outside her parents' home in Birtley, Gateshead, and fired a shot through the lounge window. It hit Stobbart in the arm and went into her abdomen.
Her 29-year-old boyfriend, Chris Brown, a karate instructor who had recently moved to the area from Berkshire, ran outside the house to confront the attacker, who shot him at close range, killing him instantly. Stobbart has an armed police guard in hospital as she recovers from a liver operation.
Less than 24 hours later, at 12.45am on Sunday, traffic officer PC David Rathband, 42, a married father of two, was in his patrol car west of Newcastle when he was allegedly shot by Moat. Rathband, who has been a police officer for 10 years, was in a critical but stable condition in hospital after surgery last night.