Paul Gascoigne has opened up on his attempt to meet with killer Raoul Moat back in 2010, with the former footballer revealing his family were 'furious' with him for his antics.
That year, Moat shot and injured Samantha Stobbart before proceeding to shoot dead her boyfriend Chris Brown. He also seriously wounded David Rathband, blinding him with a shotgun, with Mr Rathband later killing himself two years later.
But Gascoigne made headlines when, as police cornered Moat, he attempted to meet with the murderer.
The former England star, who is widely considered one of the greatest footballing talents Britain has ever produced, talked himself into thinking he was somehow related to the suspect. The story goes that he arrived at the scene with a fishing rod and bucket of chicken, prepared to negotiate.
Now, in a new autobiography entitled 'Eight' that has been serialised by the Daily Mail, Gascoigne has shed light on the incident.
The 58-year-old reveals that, while high on cocaine, he thought he was related to Moat.
The extract from the book reads: "As the TV broadcast a picture of the guy, lying on his stomach with a sawn-off shotgun pointed at his own head, while a group of coppers angled rifles right back at him, I snorted another line of cocaine and tried to work out why he looked incredibly familiar.
"‘I’m sure I know him,’ I thought to myself. It’s possible I’d seen him around the city centre, where he had worked as a bouncer, but I didn’t know this at the time.
"‘He’s my mate, no doubt about it,’ I said out loud and then, as I gulped down what was possibly my 15th brandy, I started to get it into my head this Raoul guy wasn’t just my friend, he was my cousin.
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Raoul Moat killed one person and injured two others in a two-day shooting spree back in 2010
|PA
"‘He needs my help,’ I decided. ‘He must be cold, he must be hungry, he must really need a drink.’"
Gazza then admits that he took out some chicken and a can of lager before calling a taxi to take him to the scene where Moat was being cornered by police, in Rothbury, Northumberland.
"Even in my drug-addled state, I knew no sane taxi driver would agree to take me to a police stand-off. So instead, I asked to be driven to Newcastle Airport, which was on the way.
"‘I’m going on holiday,’ I told the cabbie who turned up.
"By this point Raoul Moat wasn’t my cousin any more, he’d become my brother. Hell, he’d become my twin brother.
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Raoul Moat was eventually shot and killed by police following a stand-off
|PA
"As we came close to the airport, I ordered the driver to take a left, towards Rothbury.
"‘Where are you going, Gazza?’ he asked. ‘Don’t tell me you’re heading to the stand-off.’
"‘Yes, I am,’ I replied. ‘Raoul Moat’s my brother, and he’s cold and he’s starving.’
"‘Do you realise who he actually is?’ the cabbie said.
"‘He’s my f****** brother, I already told you!’ I barked."
Gascoigne proceeds to reveal his interaction with a police officer, who was baffled by his decision to turn up.
"‘Are you aware he has a gun in his hand?’ the copper said.
"‘Yeah,’ I replied. ‘But I can talk to him. I can get him to drop the weapon.’
"He looked at me coldly and said: ‘Pick up your things and get out of here, quickly and quietly.’
"He didn’t have to ask twice. I’d probably snorted 14 lines of cocaine by then but, deep down, I must have realised it was a bad idea to argue so I made my way to the nearest pub and ordered a taxi home."
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| PAThe following morning, Gascoigne awoke to missed calls and text messages from his loved ones. Recalling the feeling of dread that immediately hit him, the ex-England star admitted his family were furious.
"I remembered the flashing lights and seeing myself on the TV, standing there with a packet of chicken, but it was hazy, to say the least," he said.
"I switched on the television now, and learnt that Raoul Moat had shot himself dead overnight after a six-hour stand-off with police. Picking up my phone again, I knew I needed to call my dad, who’d phoned me dozens of times.
"‘Dad,’ I said. ‘I am sorry. I did something wrong, didn’t I?’
"‘Too right, you did,’ he snapped. ‘Son, you’re a f*****g idiot.’
"The whole family was both furious with me and desperately worried. My dad insisted that I go to a local mental health facility where I stayed for 11 days before my psychologist said it would be safe for me to leave.
"I went straight to my dad’s house and apologised. He was glad to see me sober, but he said: ‘You’re a f***ing idiot. Raoul Moat could have killed you.’
"When I look back, it’s scary to think I did that. It was down to the cocaine, I never would have done it otherwise.
"I’m lucky, really, just to still be alive. It’s many years since I’ve touched cocaine, but I have accepted now that I will always be an alcoholic, which means I’ll probably remain disgusted with myself for the rest of my life – a difficult thing to admit."