'tony martin made me his driver for hours, he was tortured by injustice'

DAILY MIRROR NEWS REPORTER DAN WARBURTON MET TONY MARTIN AMONG THE RUINS OF HIS DILAPIDATED BLEAK HOUSE FARM IN 2023 - JUST 18 MONTHS BEFORE HIS DEATH 11:55, 03 Feb 2025 For years there have

been scarce signs of life at Tony Martin's tumbledown farm. Once the scene of one of Britain's most notorious shootings, Bleak House has long since been a thriving homestead.

Littered over the sprawling £3million estate is the rusting wreckage of equipment and dilapidated buildings. It was here I found myself in 2023, twenty years after reclusive loner Martin

walked free from court for shooting and killing 16-year-old intruder Fred Barass. Martin - who died this weekend aged 80 - claimed to have been living elsewhere when I arrived at the

hauntingly quiet spot, but all the signs suggested he was sleeping in his car or in one of the farm outhouses. He emerged from a barn, raised only by my repeated shouts through the double

doors. And far from inviting me in, for the next three hours he had me drive him around the Norfolk countryside as he told of his tortured life as a "wrongly convicted man".

Wracked with his own sense of injustice he stopped only to tell me of the crime ravaging the rural countryside around his farm. But with his health deteriorating, the convicted killer

admitted time was slipping away in his bid to overturn his conviction, saying: "I've run out of steam." His prophecy came true this weekend when he passed away, but his death

is a reminder of the divisive nature of his crime. Article continues below Mr Martin inherited his Norfolk farm from his aunty 40 years ago but it was claimed he had his shotgun certificate

revoked in 1994 after firing at a trespasser scrumping for apples. Five years later he shot Fred Barras, 16, in the back after catching him in the farmhouse where he lived alone in Emneth

Hungate. Fearon, then 29, escaped with his life. He was charged with murder, attempted murder, wounding with intent to cause injury and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. In

his trial, the prosecution accused him of lying in wait and opening fire without warning, after previous break-­ins. A shot was fired towards the raiders in his stairwell and two as they

fled. Both suffered leg wounds and Barras was hit in the back, dying at the scene. But his case sparked a national debate, with many claiming that he had the right to defend his property. Mr

Martin's murder rap was downgraded to manslaughter on appeal. He was freed in July 2003. What will happen to his farm now remains unclear. He refused to enter his house and has refused

to sell it. He claimed he would leave it to a friend, but refused to name them. But up until his death he remained a loner with no family to speak of, tormented by his belief that his life

had been ruined by his wrongful conviction. Speaking in 2023, he said: "When I was released I was a little bit lost at that point in time. 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." Twenty years after he was freed Martin was still adamant

that he was innocent and had hoped the Criminal Case Review Commission would look at his case. But in a rambling interview, he said he no longer had the fight to overturn the manslaughter

conviction. He 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 disagrees and says I was wrong - the only thing they disagree with is the outcome of my trial. 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 fresh evidence are different things. Article continues below "I'd love to clear my name before I die but it may never happen. The law won't allow

it." Martin never moved back into Bleak House Farm after the fatal 1999 shooting and the run-down building is now overgrown with trees and ivy. What will happen to the property remains

to be seen.