by MIKE ALMOND [email protected]
The police officer shot and blinded by gunman Raoul Moat has been found dead at his house in the UK.
The body of David Rathband, 44, was found by police at his home in Northumberland on the evening of Wednesday, March 1 after officers received a report of concern for his welfare.
Police said no-one else was being sought in connection with the death.
In July 2010, the PC was shot by Moat as he sat in his patrol car in Newcastle. It came a day after Moat had shot two other people, one fatally. As a result, PC Rathband lost his sight and was fitted with prosthetic eyes.
He was hailed for his charity work in the wake of his injuries and started the Blue Lamp Foundation to help emergency service staff injured in the line of duty.
The first patron of the Blue Lamp Foundation, entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, said PC Rathband’s death was “very, very sad”.
In a statement on its website, the Blue Lamp Foundation said: “Since being shot in July 2010, David struggled to come to terms with his horrific injuries and the traumatic effect they had on him and his family and friends.
“David’s legacy will live on in the form of The Blue Lamp Foundation, which bears his name.”
The Algarve Resident is proud to say it was involved in the first major fund-raising event the group organised, a golf day and gala dinner, which raised in excess of £40,000 for the charity last summer.
The event on July 1 saw teams of four competing at Ramside Hall, in Durham in the UK, for a top prize worth thousands of Euros donated by generous Algarve businesses.
The top prize in the golf event was put together by the Algarve Resident with the assistance of Kate Ayres-Rouse of Yellow Kite.
The winning team will be jetting to the Algarve next month for a golfing extravaganza, staying for three nights in a luxury apartment at Vale do Lobo, including one round of golf on the Royal or Ocean golf course.
The four winners will also be playing a round at one of the five Pestana courses in the Algarve and, to round off a wonderful experience, they will be dining one evening at the number one restaurant in Almancil on Trip Advisor, Bistro des Z’Artes, run by chef/patron Jonnie Pratt.
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