Tony Martin, a farmer who sparked a national debate after he killed a teenaged burglar, has died at 80-years-old.
Mr Martin was jailed for murder after he shot dead 16-year-old Fred Barras and injured Brendon Fearon, then 29, on his remote Norfolk farm in 1999.
The pair had entered the farmer’s home with the intention of burglary on August 20. And, while many argued that Mr Martin had the right to defend his home, others branded him a dangerous vigilante.
The eccentric farmer was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison after the jury rejected his claim of self-defence. But he was later released from prison in 2003 after his murder conviction was downgraded to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.
After his release, he never returned to the isolated farmhouse he opened fire on Barras and Fearon - and said he did not feel bad about the teenager’s death.
On Sunday, a family friend of Mr Martin’s confirmed he had died - here is what we know about the life of the farmer who sparked a national debate:
Who was Tony Martin?
Martin was born into a well-off farming family in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in December 1944.
He was privately educated at Glebe House School in Hunstanton then at Cokethorpe Park near Oxford, leaving school at 17.
Speaking in 2000, his mother, Hilary Martin, said: “Guns were second nature to him. He grew up on a farm where there were always guns. His father loved shooting and was a good shot.
“But Tony never really liked shooting. He didn’t really like the idea of killing.
“He didn’t like animals to be killed. When he got his own place, which is now a bit of a mess admittedly, he wanted it to be a bird sanctuary.
“Whereas all the others, his cousins and everyone, were always shooting, he never took to it.”
After school, Martin did a variety of jobs, including working as a steward on liners, on oil rigs off Scotland and running a piggery at his parents’ farm.
Inspired by an uncle, Martin also spent several years travelling.
His mother added: “He did not have a violent nature. I have never, ever known him be involved in fights. He was a nice, friendly young man.
“I think he is the kind of person who would stand up for himself but he was never violent.”
What happened at Bleak House in 1999?
Martin was living alone at his farmhouse, nicknamed Bleak House, when he caught Brendan Fearon, then 29, and Fred Barras, 16, inside on August 20 1999.
He fired his shotgun three times towards the intruders, killing Barras.
The case provoked a national debate about the measures homeowners can take to defend their property.
He was initially found guilty of murder, but this was reduced to manslaughter on appeal. Martin spent a total of three years in prison.
In 2003 he accepted an offer from Nottinghamshire burglar Fearon, whom he shot and wounded, to drop a claim for damages.
What did Tony Martin do after his release from prison?
After his release, Martin received a standing ovation when he addressed the Ukip annual conference in 2003.
Martin’s friend, Malcolm Starr, told the PA news agency that the farmer tried “to carry on as normal” after his release from prison.
Mr Starr said: “He tried to carry on as normal, whatever normal was to Tony. I think most of the farm, he sub-contracted.
“He didn’t do much of that himself, but he just liked meeting people. He was good on history, he liked history books and that sort of thing.”
Mr Starr added: “I found him very eccentric when I initially met him.
“I met him because he supported the fact I’d put a planning application in to demolish the police station because it closed at 8pm and wasn’t any good if you wanted to report a crime.
“That got quite a lot of publicity, and Tony picked up on it, came to visit me at my office on a tractor, which I thought was a little bit unusual.
“And yes, he’s eccentric, but a couple of months later, there was a shooting, and it was him.
“He phoned me up from Norwich prison and said: ‘Would you deal with all my affairs?’ Which I tried to do, and I dealt with the press on his behalf as well.”
Martin told PA in 2013 that he had once again confronted a burglar at the property.
Speaking about the incident, Martin said he was visiting the shed when he saw a man attempting to steal car batteries.
He said: “There were weapons inside the shed so, if I had wanted to fight him off, I could have.
“I wished I had but, after everything I’ve been through in the past, I just couldn’t face all that hassle again.
“It isn’t the first time it’s happened since I’ve been out of prison – it’s happened two or three times.
“I haven’t changed my views about what happened in 1999 but the whole experience has made me lose faith in the system and I didn’t want to be made out as the criminal again.”
Martin said at the time that he had suffered from depression in recent years and events since his conviction had highlighted the dangers that people living in rural areas can face.
Martin was arrested in January 2016 on suspicion of possessing an illegal firearm after a police search of his home.
Norfolk Police subsequently said he would face no further action over the arrest.
In 2018, Mr Martin said he had no regrets about shooting the teenager dead when he gave his first broadcast interview about the case.
“I don't want to get locked up. If I'm in the house and somebody comes in the house, I'm going to look after myself,” he said.
“If you think I'm going to stand there and ask them what they're doing, I'm not that stupid.”
In 2023, he told The Mirror that he still hoped to clear his name, but once again insisted he did not feel remorse over the killing.
Martin died on February 2 aged 80 after suffering a stroke in December 2024.
