Convicted Farmer Tony Martin Dies at 80

Tony Martin, the farmer convicted of killing a teenage intruder in his Norfolk home in 1999, has died at the age of 80. A family friend, Malcolm Starr, confirmed that Martin passed away on Sunday afternoon at Wisbech Hospital in Cambridgeshire after suffering a stroke months earlier.

Martin shot and killed 16-year-old Fred Barras and injured 29-year-old Brendan Fearon after they broke into his isolated farmhouse, Bleak House, on August 20, 1999. He was convicted of murder in 2000 but later had his sentence reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to paranoid personality disorder. He was released in 2003.

His case sparked national debate on self-defence and home security laws. Following his release, Martin lived a reclusive life, occasionally making headlines regarding property disputes. The incident influenced changes in UK law, including the 2013 Crime & Courts Act, which strengthened homeowner rights in cases of self-defence.