Twenty years after being released from prison for shooting dead a teenage burglar, farmer Tony Martin says he still wants to clear his name but that his hopes are fading fast.
The pensioner, 78, fears he may have to abandon his plan to appeal to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, telling the Mirror: “I’ve run out of steam.”
Mr Martin was jailed for killing Fred Barras, 16, and seriously injuring Brendon Fearon when they broke into his isolated farm in 1999.
He was found guilty of murder the following year but the conviction was quashed on appeal and he spent three years in prison for manslaughter.
Now – just ahead of the 20th anniversary of walking free in July 2003 – Mr Martin maintains that the manslaughter conviction should also be overturned. In an interview at Bleak House Farm where he shot the burglars, he added he has not stepped foot in the dilapidated farmhouse since the killing.
Mr Martin, who still owns the £3million farm, spends his time in a neighbouring barn and nearby property.
He also spoke of being a “different person” after being in jail.
Recalling the fatal shooting, Mr Martin said: “I went to bed that night with the Farmers Weekly and a bottle of wine. I had the radio on.
“Suddenly, the house was broken into and my life changed. Does that make me a guilty man?
“Can you imagine it? It was a terrifying experience. You go home one night and someone breaks into your house and you get the police jumping on [your] back.
“I’ve had to live with that for more than 20 years.
“Suddenly, I’m this man that wants to kill people.
“I don’t regret anything – what was I supposed to do? Hide under the bed clothes?
“Before I knew where I was I was locked up by the police. It’s unlucky that I was the fall guy.”
He shot the burglars after catching them in the farmhouse in Emneth Hungate, Norfolk, where he lived alone.
A shot was fired at the raiders while they were in the stairwell. Two more were fired as they fled. Fred was hit in the leg and back, dying at the scene. His accomplice, then 29, was hit in the leg, and he survived.
Mr Martin was charged with offences including murder, attempted murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
At the trial, the prosecution accused him of lying in wait and opening fire without warning after previous break-ins. Prosecutors successfully argued he had used excessive force in shooting the pair as they climbed out of a window.
It was claimed that in the months before the killing, Mr Martin had repeatedly threatened to shoot any thieves.
The prosecution also argued he had booby-trapped his run-down home in anticipation of a break-in.
It was added he had used an unlicensed shotgun and that his shotgun certificate was revoked in 1994 after he fired at a trespasser scrumping apples. The murder trial sparked a national debate, with some saying he had the right to defend his property and others horrified at the death of a teenager.
Speaking now, Mr Martin said: “I’m surprised how quickly time went by in prison. When I was released I was a little bit lost. I sacrificed a lot of valuable time and I’m not the same person.
“When people see me they know me, but they know me on the basis not as a friend or an acquaintance, they see me as the guy who shot the burglar.
“They said I was waiting with a gun – I’ve had a gun ever since I was a child. I don’t know any farmer that doesn’t have a gun.”
Mr Martin is yet to submit a file to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, citing the definition of “fresh evidence”. He added he fears he no longer has the fight in him to pursue his bid to quash the manslaughter conviction.
Mr Martin said: “It’s 20 years ago and I’m old now. I cope, but that’s about all you can do.
“You may think I’ve got a chip on my shoulder but I’m bound to. I haven’t met anybody who says I was wrong. I don’t think people appreciate what happened. I’ve been naive, I’m too honest for my own good and I don’t like dishonesty.
“I would like to appeal but you can’t because you need fresh evidence. My idea of fresh evidence and their idea [of it] are different.
“I’d love to clear my name before I die but it may never happen. The law won’t allow it.”
Mr Martin inherited the farm from his aunt 40 years ago. The farmhouse is now overgrown with trees and ivy. He says he lives “in a lot of places” and has a “bolthole” nearby. Asked why he never went back in the house, he said: “I just don’t, I don’t like disappointment.” And does he like living in the area? “No,” he replies.
Some locals quietly praise Mr Martin for taking a stand against crime. One said: “We had four break-ins. I know you’re not supposed to say this, but what he did stopped the burglaries.”
But Mr Martin said: “I’m not the sheriff, I just happen to be a farmer.”
He added: “I bet there isn’t a house round here that hasn’t been broken into. It’s cattle rustling country. People do what they like because they’re not bothered whether they get caught.”
Mr Martin added: “It’s a defeatist thing to say but I know I would have been better off without the farm. But I’ll not sell it.”
He has no time for his notoriety. In 2018, The League of Gentlemen star Steve Pemberton played Mr Martin in TV drama The Interrogation of Tony Martin, based on police interviews.
Mr Martin said: “I told the person doing it that it was a waste of time, it would do no good. They carried on and did it. It was dreadful.”
He added: “I don’t agree with the police and the legal system. They’re supposed to be impartial but they’re far from impartial.”
