A CASH reward offered by police for information leading to the capture of gunman Raoul Moat has been paid out, it was confirmed tonight.

Police offered a £10,000 reward after the former nightclub doorman went on the run.

Moat, 37, shot his former girlfriend, her new partner - who died - and a police officer before vanishing and taunting police.

Northumbria Police offered the reward five days after the first of the shootings in Birtley, near Gateshead, on July 3.

Tonight police confirmed a reward has been paid, but would not reveal who has received the money or whether they got the full amount.

"The police have paid out a reward regarding the apprehension of Raoul Moat," a force spokesman said.

Moat shot himself in Rothbury, Northumberland, on July 10 after a six-hour stand-off with armed police.

The father-of-three had been released from Durham Prison on July 1 after serving a sentence for assault on a child.

Two days later he shot his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, 22, at a house in Birtley.

Her new boyfriend Chris Brown, 29, was shot and killed when he went outside.

The following night Pc David Rathband was shot through the window of his car while on patrol in the East Denton area of Newcastle.

The 42-year-old father-of-two was blinded in the attack.

Northumbria Police have so far arrested 21 people in connection with the Moat inquiry.

Two men have appeared at Newcastle Crown Court charged with conspiracy to murder and possessing a firearm with intent.