Shot Pc David Rathband 'was let down by police before he died' say family at start of inquest into his death The officer hanged himself in 2012, two years after he was blinded Killer Raoul Moat had shot him twice in the face while on the run in 2010 He had an affair with Lisa French and wife Kath refused to take him back Miss French survived Tavistock Square bomb despite sitting feet away His ex-wife says that she 'couldn't possibly know' he was to kill himself Pc Rathband's family say he was 'let down' and could have been saved An inquest into his death started in Newcastle today A policeman who was shot and blinded by an on-the-run gunman was found hanged after failing to come to terms with the break down of his marriage, his inquest heard today. PC David Rathband was found dead at his home in Blyth, Northumberland on February 29 2012, after his wife Kath found out about his affair with 7/7 survivor Lisa French. The 43-year-old was left blind and fighting for his life after gunman Raoul Moat shot him twice while he was on the run in July 2010. The disabled officer could not understand why she would not take him back, and would call her up to 100 times a day, Mrs Rathband told the hearing. Relationship: PC Rathband and 7/7 bombing survivor Lisa French met on Twitter and had an affair, which led to the break-up of his 20-year marriage, an inquest heard today Estranged: The ex-wife of Pc David Rathband, Kath Rathband, left, arrives at Moot Hall in Newcastle, followed by, Lisa French, right, was also there for the start of an inquest into his death She visited him at his home on the evening that he hanged himself and was concerned enough to call his welfare officer, Inspector John Heckles, and to text his sister Mrs Essery in Staffordshire. Police officer David Rathband hanged himself last February after losing his sight when he was shot in the face by killer Raoul Moat two years earlier But despite her fears for his well-being, she did not consider he was going to kill himself, she said today. 'Of course I couldn't possibly know,' she said. Nobody could have known. But I did not feel that David was in imminent danger of taking his life for a moment. Mr Rathband was emotional during his final meeting with his wife, she said. He had just returned from a holiday to Australia to see his twin, and 'looked awful', was wearing pyjamas and had not eaten when she visited him at tea-time at the house where he lived after their separation. 'He said to me "I'm sorry, I do love you. 'I don't want to be friends,"' his widow told the inquest. She explained that she had taken him back after previous affairs, but would not again. 'I told him I couldn't go back after his behaviour to me and the kids and he could not understand why,' she said. Mr Rathband asked her to leave and they hugged and kissed. Later, he called her to tell her again that he loved her and that 'I wouldn't see him again', Mrs Rathband said. He also told her: 'Don't bother sending anyone round. If you do, they won't get in and I will say I am fine.' Lisa French's life was saved by her laptop bag, she told the inquest into the deaths of the 52 7/7 victims. She had followed Hasib Hussain, 18, up the stairs of the bus he would later blow up in Tavistick Square, but Miss French could see his large rucksack and decided not to sit next to him. The human resources manager, who was in London for a business meeting on July 7, 2005, had her laptop with her and didn't think they could fit side by side with all their bags. So Miss French sat four rows in front of him on the top deck - and as a result lost her two front teeth rather than her life. Hussain detonated his home-made device, killing 13 people. Had she sat next to him, Miss French, 34, would not have lived to tell the tale. Instead, she ended up being knocked unconscious in the blast but was able to walk away from the wreckage. Miss French, a BT worker from Newcastle Upon Tyne, said: "I made the decision not to go and sit next to him because I was aware we both had very big bags and that he, we, you know, would be taking up a lot of room." She cannot recall the blast, but remembers waking up shortly after, "crumpled up" in her seat in a brace position and spitting out part of a tooth. She looked back and saw through the smoke that the rear of the bus was missing. "There were no seats left behind me attached to the bus," she said. There was literally no bus left. It just dropped down behind our seats. Pictures of the aftermath show Miss French was inches away from the section of floor that collapsed. Referring to images of the wrecked bus showing a pole protruding from a twisted seat, she said: "That's where I woke up." Miss French was later treated at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital. She suffered perforated eardrums as well as broken teeth, cuts and bruises - and described herself as "very lucky." The suicide attacks by Hussain, Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and Jermaine Lindsay, 19, killed 52 and injured more than 700. Mrs Rathband said: "I told him 'Don't be stupid, don't say things like that."' She did not want her husband to be alone so texted his sister and called Mr Heckles, leaving a voicemail message. Following that final visit, she was concerned he should not be on his own, but was sure she should not be the person to sit with him. 'He wanted something from me that I could not give at that moment in time,' she said. She was to hear the 'devastating news David had taken his own life' later that evening, she said. After attending the trial of two of Moat's accomplices in spring 2011, Mr Rathband got 'closure' but it left him questioning what to do next, she said. In August that year, there was a domestic incident at their home after she found out he was leaving her. Mr Rathband got 'mad' when he heard her talking to a friend about it and their son called the police. It was after the incident, which was attended by police, that Mr Rathband moved out of the family home. His widow said: 'We were very much still a married couple. I would ask David to come home but he refused. However, he would come for tea, stay for the weekend. Then Mrs Rathband found he had begun a relationship with Ms French, after they swapped Twitter messages. The spurned wife found out it was more than a friendship in late December 2011, before he was to fly out to visit Darren. This put an end to their plans to rebuild their marriage, she said. 'By this point it was my opinion our marriage was over due to David's level of deceit,' she told the inquest. 'This was the one and only occasion I felt me and the kids had had enough,' she said. From Australia, Mr Rathband called her pretending to be a police officer announcing his death, and then said 'You will see a fluorescent jacket at the door' - a reference to how the news would be broken to her by the emergency services. He would ring her 40 or 50 times a day when she was at work and she received abusive messages and texts. Asked if he had ever threatened to kill himself, she replied: 'There had been a pattern of behaviour where David would make threats and leave abusive messages, but as soon as I spoke to him he would appear fine and rational.' Bereft: Pc Rathband's sister Debbie Essery (centre) speaks at the start of his inquest alongside sister Julie Reece and their father Keith Rathband, who claim he was 'let down' before his death Evidence: Inspector John Heckles, who was PC Rathband's welfare officer, told the inquest he found the officer hanged at home Couple: David Rathband with wife Kath Rathband at a charity event in October 2010, before they broke up after his affair, the inquest heard The month before he died, Mr Rathband found out his wife had seen a solicitor after his last infidelity. 'Things changed when I found out he was having a relationship with Lisa French,' she said. But I still maintained contact with David. I would speak to him and still email. When I went to see a solicitor, David became very abusive towards me and I sought support from the domestic violence unit. He was sometimes phoning 100 times a day, leaving voicemails and messages. Lisa French said today she first spoke to David on Twitter in August 2011. They swapped numbers and soon started a relationship with Lisa believing David was separated from his wife Kath. The 7/7 survivor told the court that she visited David's house the night before his death but could not get an answer. Killer: Raoul Moat shot dead Chris Brown, 29, who was in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend,before going on the run and shooting Pc David Rathband The following morning Lisa visited David again and noticed a stool was missing from the kitchen and had been placed upstairs next to the stairwell. Lisa told the court that David admitted he had tried to commit suicide but could not go through with it because she would think it was her fault and would blame herself. Lisa later left his house as his children were planning to visit that afternoon and decided to return later that night. She said: 'From the very second I spoke to David he expressed he was having suicidal thoughts. He had the most courage and strength I have ever known and I know he did not want to kill himself. He did not threaten to kill himself to me he expressed suicidal thoughts, the two are very different. He fought his suicidal thoughts very bravely and courageously for the six months I knew him. He still needed a lot of support. I didn't feel he was in immediate danger. He was distressed, very distressed. Although I was concerned for David I felt that he was OK and needed to know I was there. I sent him a text saying 'I wish you would let me in tonight, I am here to help'. I did not hear from David or contact him again until the following morning. He told me he could not go through with it because of me. I knew David's immediate family would be there in the afternoon so I decided to return later. I was more concerned of how capable he was of looking after himself. I told him that if I came up and couldn't get a response I would call the police. I did not hear from David again. On the day of his death Kath Rathband contacted Inspector John Heckles as she was concerned for his welfare. 'At 9.15pm I arrived at David's home address. As we reached the first floor I could see David was hanging. Kath Rathband had rung to see what was happening, I was reluctant to tell her but she was persistent. I said David was found hanging and we were trying to revive him. I was told that David was deceased at 22.00. I attended the home address of Kath Rathband, I told her that David had passed away. Kath was devastated. I remained with Kath until 2am and informed family members of the news. Happier times: David and Kath Rathband with their children Ashley and Mia in 2006 before he was blinded Inspector Heckles also told the court that he was alerted to disturbing Twitter comments PC Rathband had posted the week before his death. The comments suggested David was depressed. Some of his followers suggested he was so low that he may self harm. It was agreed that I would make contact with David Rathband. At first I called his mobile phone but he did not answer. 'He text me saying, "Don't worry, I am not going to die in Australia" The majority of the time he spoke to me about wanting to get back to work. I did not believe David would self harm. David told Kath that she would 'look good in black' on the day that he died. His sister Debbie Essery told the court: 'On the 29th February 2012 I returned home from work when a text alert sounded on my phone. The text was from Kath, his wife. I was instantly concerned as we had not been in touch for many months. She said she had just seen David and he was not eating and he had taken too much medication. She said he was telling her she would look good in black. I told her she has the power to do something about it, she is his wife. You need to be cruel to be kind, he needs to be sectioned. Debbie said that she then phoned DC Brown, Rathband's former welfare officer, but couldn't get through. She added: 'I tried to alert her on Facebook. DC Brown later called me and I told her I was concerned for David, that I thought David was going to kill himself and needed to be sectioned. DC Brown said she would contact the control room and somebody would be sent. I felt positive steps were being made to get to David. I cannot recall DC Brown calling me back. I left David a voice-mail on his phone but he would not answer it. 'It was the comment 'you will look nice in black' that made me think he was going to do something silly.' Support: Police officer David Rathband arrives with his wife Katherine Rathband where he gave evidence in the Raoul Moat case at Newcastle Crown Court Mr Rathband's sisters, Debbie Essery and Julie Reece, expressed concerns about previous events. Ms Essery said: 'Northumbria Police investigated a complaint made by David's brother Darren. Into those issues the investigation found there was no case to be answered. As a family, we do not accept this. Pc Rathband won national praise for his battle against disability and for setting up a charity to help other emergency workers injured in the line of their work. Mr Rathband, a father of two, was estranged from his wife Kath, and reportedly told her she would 'look nice in black' when they spoke on the phone for the last time. His twin Darren, a police officer in Australia, is not attending the inquest, and his widow Kath and son Ash walked in separately from the dead officer's father and sisters. Before blasting the unarmed traffic officer, Moat shot and injured his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, and killed her boyfriend, 29-year-old Chris Brown. Moat shot himself in Rothbury, Northumberland, during a stand off with police at the end of a week-long manhunt. An inquest into Mr Brown's death concluded last month he was unlawfully killed. 'I may be blind but all I can see is Raoul Moat's face': Pc was haunted by the steroid-addict killer who shot him Pc David Rathband was haunted by deranged killer Raoul Moat, who had approached his patrol car and shot him in the face, leaving him with 200 shotgun pellets lodged in his skull. Before his own death in February 2012, the Northumberland officer said that he could not remember what his family looked like, but his attacker's face was engraved on his mind and would wake him every night. He was almost fatally injured after Moat went on the rampage when his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, 23, had falsely told him she had fallen for a police officer. Rampage: Raoul Moat shot former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, right, and killed her boyfriend after she told him about the new relationship while he was in jail After he was released from prison he drove to her home in the early hours of July 3 2012 before blasting her new partner Christopher Brown, 29, three times and then shooting her in the stomach. Moat had fled on foot before taking a taxi to a friend's house where he bragged: "I've shot Sam. I've shot Sam. I'm full of beans. I feel as though a huge cloud has been lifted from my shoulders. A witness to the shooting of Mr Brown told police it was "like a scene from Reservoir Dogs and Scarface" because Moat had stood over his victim in a Hollywood-style gangster pose before firing a third shot into his head. He had originally planned to hang himself and in a suicide note left for Miss Stobbart, with whom he had a young daughter, he wrote: "I cannot go on without you. Knowing you hate me is tearing me apart. But Moat never went through with his suicide bid despite setting up a noose in the loft of his home in Newcastle. Instead he armed himself with a sawn-off shotgun and began his rampage. On July 4 Pc Rathband was sitting in his squad car on a roundabout north-west of Newcastle, when Moat approached and fired on the unarmed officer. Shameful: Steroid addict Moat shot and blinded Northumbria Police traffic officer PC David Rathband, left, after he had killed love rival Chris Brown, right, after shooting him three times Speaking afterwards the Northumberland policeman said: 'I may be blind but I can still see Moat's face. It's more of a melted face now - like the evil Voldemort from the Harry Potter films. The strange thing is that while I can see Moat in my mind, I have no recollection of how my wife or children look whatsoever. 'They are as featureless as an orange to me, and that's what hurts the most.' He then went on the run for a week, sparking a nationwide manhunt lasting a week. Moat was eventually cornered by a river in Rothbury, Northumberland. Bizarrely Paul Gascoigne, on hearing the news had decided to get in a cab and visit the fugitive. The former footballer took a fishing rod, lager and some chicken with him and went searching for him in Rothbury,. Gascoigne said in a radio interview at the time: 'He is willing to give in now. I just want to give him some therapy and say "come on Moaty, it's Gazza."' After a six-hour stand-off with police the steroid-addicted former bouncer, who had been arrested 12 times by Northumbria Police for violence since 2000, shot himself in the head. Police officers photographed negotiating with fugitive Raoul Moat, circled, shortly before his death in Rothbury, Northumberland Armed police, including one with a controversial Taser, are seen attempting to negotiate with Raoul Moat who shot himself in the head after a six-hour stand off Moat hid in this storm water drain just yards from villagers' homes when he was trying to evade capture by the police When he was shot by Moat PC Rathband told a court how he had seen the crazed killer approach his Volvo before two shots were fired through the passenger window. He was convinced he was going to die, he told the jury, and then played dead until he could alert his colleagues. Somehow he managed to radio for help and was rushed to hospital where he had emergency surgery. Surgeons were unable to save his sight. His lost his right eyeball and his left remains shrunken and bloodshot. Following the news of Moat's death Pc Rathband said he had enjoyed his first full night's sleep for ages. But the father-of-two had struggled to come to terms with his blindness and the ordeal. Before his death he had been to see his twin Darren in Australia but six days after he came home the police officer was found dead. Colleagues of the 44-year-old were so concerned about his state of mind that a welfare officer was sent to meet him off the plane. PC Rathband was driven back to his home in Bebside, Northumberland, before assuring the officer that he was simply tired after his flight. Last picture: Pc Rathband, pictured in a Twitter image, suns himself in Australia during a trip to see his brother Darren The officer phoned him the next day to see how he was and PC Rathband said he was still exhausted. But shortly before 7pm on Wednesday, a relative grew increasingly concerned about his welfare and raised the alarm. Police went to the home where PC Rathband had lived alone since the separation from his wife and broke in through the back door. But it was already too late and they found him dead.