Thread: Ex-policeman who supplied Tasers fired at Raoul Moat siege kills himself

A former policeman who supplied the controversial Tasers used to stun murderer Raoul Moat is believed to have committed suicide after his company lost its licence to sell the weapons.

Peter Boatman, 57, is thought to have feared his business Pro-Tect Systems would collapse after the lucrative Government licence was revoked last week.

He had also recently learned that his company might face police action for breaching the terms of its licence and supplying the weapons directly to Northamptonshire Police, where Mr Boatman was a former inspector.





Peter Boatman (left) was found dead in his home today. He supplied the controversial long range Tasers which were fired at Raoul Moat (right)


Pro-Tect Systems supplied four experimental long-range X-12 Tasers to the force that were used during the tense six-hour stand-off with gunman Moat in Rothbury, Northumberland, in July.

Armed police fired two X-12 Tasers at the nightclub bouncer in an ‘effort to stop him taking his own life’.

Moat had gone on the run after shooting his ex-girlfriend and her new partner, killing the latter, as well as shooting a police officer in the face, blinding him.

It has yet to be established what role, if any, the Tasers played in the death of Moat, who blasted himself with a shotgun.
But Moat’s brother, Angus, said officers used the killer as a ‘guinea pig’.

He added: ‘They had not used them before, and that was not the time or the place to conduct an experiment.’

It was believed at the time of Moat’s death that, although the Home Office had not approved the weapons, their use was at the police’s discretion.

But it later emerged that the company should not have supplied X-12 Tasers and XRep ammunition directly to two police forces as they were intended only for the Home Office Science and Development Branch scientific testing department.

It is believed Mr Boatman may have handed the guns to former colleagues from Northamptonshire Police in order to help them take Moat alive.

The Home Office revoked the company’s licence last Tuesday and Northamptonshire Police said the company was facing action over the breach of its licence.

Pro-Tect chairman Mr Boatman had previously allowed himself to be shot more than 200 times with a Taser for testing and in a publicity stunt to prove how safe they are.

In 2004, for the same reason, he even fired one at his wife Stephanie, also a director of Pro-Tect Systems.



Publicity: Mr Boatman let himself be host with a taser in 2003


Brought down: Partner Kevin Coles hits him with the Taser

Police officers were yesterday comforting Mr Boatman’s family at his large detached four-bedroomed home in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, after cordoning off the area.

He is believed to have lived at the property with Stephanie, daughter Chloe, 30, and a grown-up son, Kiel.

Four vehicles with personalised numberplates containing the letters TSR, thought to be short for Taser, stood outside the property.

Kevin Coles, managing director of the company, said he and his colleagues were ‘devastated’ by the news, adding: ‘After recent events he wasn’t the man he was. We’re all just dreadfully sorry for Steph and the family.’

Mr Boatman worked as an inspector for Northamptonshire Police before leaving the force in 2002 to become a joint partner with a 50 per cent stake in Pro-Tect Systems based in Daventry, Northampton.


Mr Peter Boatman (left) is pictured with a Taser electric stun device before demonstrating the weapon on Detective Constable Joe Holness of Kent Police at the Police Federation Conference in 2005



His company gained a lucrative Government contract making him the only legal supplier of Tasers in Britain and he has sold more than 4,000 stun-guns to police and the military.

Pro-Tect Systems is also the exclusive British distributor for American company Taser International.

The Tasers used to stun Raoul Moat, which fire a lightweight shell over long range, can deliver up to 20 seconds of electric shock in bullet-
like capsules from a standard 12-gauge shotgun or an X-12 Taser.

Mr Boatman’s neighbour Rob Fisher, 45, a financial adviser, said yesterday: ‘It’s a tragic thing. Running a business like he did can be very stressful. I feel for his family.

When I heard the news [about the revoked licence] a couple of nights ago I thought “How devastating” because he had been working so hard for his company.

‘He always got up at 6am in the morning and came back home very late. Peter was very welcoming and introduced us to the neighbourhood.

‘Earlier this afternoon an ambulance
turned up and police cars came screeching around the cul-de-sac blocking the entrance. It was obvious something tragic had happened.’

One neighbour, who refused to be named, tearfully added: ‘He was a wonderful person, who had a great sense of humour. He will be sorely missed.’

A spokesman for Pro-Tect Systems said Mr Boatman’s death was ‘an incredibly sad loss’.

The company added that Mr Boatman showed ‘incredible passion in bringing a friendly and committed outlook to all he met’.

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: ‘We are not treating the death as suspicious and will be preparing a report for the coroner.’


Read more: Ex-policeman who supplied Tasers fired at Raoul Moat 'commits suicide' | Mail Online

I think tasers are great. Someone should name a dance contest after them.