Farmer Tony Martin, who shot dead teenage burglar, dies aged 80

Farmer Tony Martin, who was jailed for shooting dormant a teenage burglar, has died astatine the property of 80, a person has confirmed.

Martin served 3 years successful situation aft shooting Fred Barras, 16, astatine his location successful Emneth Hungate, Norfolk, successful 1999.

He was initially recovered blameworthy of murder, but this was reduced to manslaughter connected appeal.

Martin’s friend, Malcolm Starr, told the PA quality bureau that the Norfolk husbandman had died successful infirmary connected Sunday aft suffering a changeable successful December.

Martin was surviving unsocial astatine his farmhouse, nicknamed Bleak House, erstwhile helium caught Brendon Fearon, past 29, and Barras, 16, wrong connected August 20 1999.

He fired his shotgun 3 times towards the intruders, sidesplitting Barras.

The lawsuit provoked a nationalist statement astir the measures homeowners tin instrumentality to support their property.

I deliberation his honesty got him incarcerated due to the fact that helium couldn't lie

Malcolm Starr

Mr Starr said Martin “deserves a airy up connected him”, adding that helium initially recovered him to beryllium “very eccentric”.

He told the PA quality agency: “I deliberation his honesty got him incarcerated due to the fact that helium couldn’t lie.

“Because if you spell successful that situation, you bash everything you could astir apt to get retired of it and say, this happened and they attacked maine oregon thing similar that.

“But what I’m saying is he’s truly a precise consecutive feline from that constituent of view.”

Mr Starr, who handled Martin’s relations with the media, added: “I inactive maintain, however bash you cognize however anyone would respond until you’re faced with it?

“I don’t deliberation you tin foretell however you’d enactment if idiosyncratic came into your property.”

Martin told PA successful 2013 that helium had erstwhile again confronted a burglar astatine the property.

He said helium caught the would-be burglar portion checking connected an outbuilding. They drove disconnected erstwhile confronted and Martin decided not to effort to halt him, saying: “I couldn’t look going done each that again.”

Martin said astatine the time: “I haven’t changed my views astir what happened successful 1999, but the full acquisition has made maine suffer religion successful the strategy and I didn’t privation to beryllium made retired arsenic the transgression again.”