A farmer who killed a burglar in the nineties has bequeathed his entire £2.5 million fortune to a pub landlady he met after being released from prison.
Tony Martin made headlines in 1999 when he fired an illegal gun at two burglars in his home in Norfolk, killing one and wounding the other.
The primary victim of the 1999 shooting was 16-year-old Fred Barras, who was killed, and 29-year-old Brendon Fearon, who was injured. He was handed a five-year sentence for manslaughter.
After news broke of the shocking 1999 shooting, public opinion was divided. Some supported Martin’s right as a homeowner to defend his property, while others condemned the killing of a 16-year-old. Throughout, Martin remained defiant in the face of criticism and never apologised for the crime.
He said at the time, “I tried to defend my home, my private space. I was just a man, asleep, for goodness sake. Not some roaming vigilante.”
Martin was also diagnosed with Asperger’s, and his sentence was reduced to five years for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He was released in 2003.
Martin died aged 80 last year and left his millions to Jacqueline (Jacqui) Wadsley, a landlady he met after his release from prison.
The couple met at the Hare & Hounds pub, where Martin was a regular and where Jacqui, 52, worked as a manager.
The late farmer’s probate papers show he left his entire estate, amounting to £2,567,795, to Jacqui and her husband, David, 45.
The estate comprises Bleak House, 350 acres of surrounding land, and property in Australia, as reported by The Mirror.
Jacqui’s husband, David, told the paper: “Tony came into Jacqui’s pub, which she was running at the time.
“It was after [the shooting] and after Mr Martin had been released from prison. It was a slow burner, but Jacqui, by her nature, she’s a very, very caring person, so the friendship just grew.
“It became something much stronger and ended up being more like a father and a daughter relationship, to be honest, at the end.”
David added it was a “shock to find out” that he and his wife were named in Martin’s will, having assumed the estate would go to family.
The late farmer’s papers indicate that the childless farmer snubbed his entire family in his will and probate arrangements. It is believed that he was completely estranged from his brother, Robin Martin.
