THE TWO MEN CONVICTED OF acting as accomplices to gunman Raoul Moat have been sentenced to life in prison.

Karl Ness, 26, and Qhuram Awan, 23, were convicted on Friday of conspiring with Moat before, during and after his shooting spree, the PA reported.

Moat shot three people, killing one and seriously injuring the other two, just days after he was released from prison in July 2010.

Earlier, the two men’s trial heard evidence from one of Moat’s victims, policeman David Rathband, who was blinded afterbeing shot in the face by Moat. Rathband told the court he pretended he was dead to avoid being killed.

Ness and Awan claimed Moat took them hostage and forced them at gunpoint to help him.

Both men were convicted of the attempted murder of Rathband, and Ness was convicted of murdering Chris Brown, Moat’s ex-girlfriend’s partner. The judge said the roles played by the two men “cannot be minimised” and sentenced Ness to at least 40 years in prison and Awan to serve a minimum of 20 years.

The BBC reports that the judge said both men posed a threat to the public and had “willingly joined in a plan to commit random murders of police officer” after known what Moat had done to his first two victims.

The trial heard that Moat planned to target police officers indiscriminately after he became convinced his former partner was dating a policeman while Moat was in prison.

CCTV footage was shown of the defendants shopping for supplies for their camp with Moat before police arrested them, the Guardian reports. Moat killed himself three days later, after a six=hour standoff with police.