Tony Martin, ‘eccentric’ farmer who killed teenage burglar, dies

Tony Martin, who sparked nationalist statement erstwhile he changeable dormant a teen on his farm, has died astatine the property of 80.

Growing up connected a affluent family’s workplace successful Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, ‘there were ever guns’ around, his parent Hilary said successful 2000.

‘His begetter loved shooting and was a bully shot. But Tony ne'er truly liked shooting. He didn’t truly similar to thought of killing.’

On August 20, 1999, Mr Martin fired his shotgun 3 times from the stairs, sidesplitting 16-year-old burglar Fred Barras, and injuring his accomplice Brendon Fearon, past 29, arsenic they broke into his Norfolk farmhouse.

The nighttime before, Barras had been bragging to his friends successful Newark, Nottinghamshire, that helium was going disconnected to bash his archetypal ‘big job’.

He had ‘got successful with the incorrect people’, according his parent Ellen, who had bought him chickenhearted and chips for meal that evening.

‘I don’t deliberation I shall ever beryllium blessed again’, she aboriginal said.

The shooting astatine Bleak House was controversial, sparking nationalist statement implicit whether it was the pre-meditated actions of a convulsive eccentric, oregon justified self-defence.

He argued helium was protecting himself and his semi-derelict home, wherever helium lived unsocial surrounded by antiques- and hundreds of acres of land. The prosecution claimed helium was lying successful hold for the intruding pair.

Originally convicted of execution and jailed for beingness successful April 2000, helium was released 3 years aboriginal aft the complaint was downgraded to manslaughter connected the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Mr Martin had been diagnosed with paranoid property disorder.

His parent said: ‘He did not person a convulsive nature. I person never, ever known him beryllium progressive successful fights. He was a nice, affable young man.

‘I deliberation helium is the benignant of idiosyncratic who would basal up for himself but helium was ne'er violent.’

Described arsenic ‘very eccentric’ by his person Malcolm Starr, Mr Martin appears to person ‘tried to transportation connected arsenic normal’ aft his release.

‘Whatever mean was to Tony’, Starr said. ‘I deliberation astir of the farm, helium sub-contracted.

‘He didn’t bash overmuch of that himself, but helium conscionable liked gathering people. He was bully connected history, helium liked past books and that benignant of thing.’

In 2013 determination was astir a repetition connected the 1999 shooting aft helium saw a antheral trying to bargain car batteries portion helium visited his shed.

‘There were weapons wrong the shed so, if I had wanted to combat him off, I could have’, helium said.

‘I wished I had but, aft everything I’ve been done successful the past, I conscionable couldn’t look each that hassle again.’

Three years later, Mr Martin was arrested connected suspicion of possessing an amerciable firearm aft constabulary searched his home. Police aboriginal said helium would look nary further action.

He died of a changeable connected February 2, much than 25 years aft sidesplitting a boy.

Barras had 29 erstwhile convictions, mostly for theft and fraud, and had been sentenced to 2 months successful a young offender’s institute for assaulting a constabulary officer.

Hours earlier helium was killed, helium had been released connected bail aft being accused of stealing plot furniture.

But his household was convinced ‘he would not person gone connected being a thief forever’, and would person been capable to lend to his household with a job, if helium was inactive alive.

Announcing their volition to writer Mr Martin for nonaccomplishment of income successful 2000, Barras’ grandma Mary Dolan said: ‘It’s not just that the husbandman has got each the wealth and helium is the 1 that took Fred away.’

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