TONY MARTIN was woken in bed by the sound of armed police rushing in to handcuff him and arrest him for murder.
Earlier that night, a panicked farmer shot at two burglars who broke into his secluded property – killing one.
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Tony Martin says he feels no remorse for his actions when confronted by burglars at his home in the middle of the nightCredit: Archant
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Tony Martin’s house was raided by armed police who arrested him on suspicion of murder Credit: Alban Donohoe Picture Service
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Tony Martin has strongly condemned the police handling of his case and believes he was unfairly prosecutedCredit: PA: Press Association
He was later jailed for the death of Fred Barras, 16. His defense was that he pulled the trigger as a warning.
Now, two and a half decades after the conflict that divided the nation, the reclusive Mr Martin insists he is innocent and says he has no regrets about that fateful night.
But in a rare exclusive interview with The Sun, he claims he was “stitched up” by police, lawyers, prosecutors and judges at the trial and hopes his name will one day be cleared.
Mr Martin also reveals he visited the grave of Fred Barras and insists he “felt no remorse” standing over it.
He simply asks the question: “How can I feel about the criminals who have done all this to me?”
However, despite strongly believing his actions were justified, he admits he “lost energy and faith in the justice system” to fight his conviction, adding: “My life was never the same after that night.
“Everything is different now. I was never the same.”
Mr Martin says of his reaction to catching an intruder in his home: “How can you be guilty of sleeping in your own bed?
“I ask people: ‘How do you know how you would react if someone entered your home, in the dark, at night, and you were alone?’
“I still don’t understand how I could have been found guilty.
Burglary victims are waiting more than a day for the police to show up, shocking figures reveal
‘I acted instinctively’
“I tried to defend my home, my private space. I was only human, sleeping, for God’s sake. Not some wandering vigilante.”
Recalling the night Bleak House in Emneth Hungate, Norfolk, was attacked, Mr Martin, now 79, said: “I went to see my mother, bless her. I got home, drank a bottle of wine, caught up with Farmers Weekly and fell asleep.
“I remember hearing noises. I knew someone was in the house. I knew I had a gun in the house, I just didn’t know where it was.
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Tony Martin jailed for the death of Fred Barras and says he has no sympathy for the two burglars he killed Credit: Alamy
“I ask everyone: ‘What would you do in that situation?’. I eventually found my gun, which I had not used for a long time, under the bed with old newspapers. I don’t remember much after that.
“I was sure I didn’t shoot anyone. The next thing I knew, the police were on top of me in bed.
“What happened afterwards was a great shock, a great injustice. I don’t see how I would have done otherwise. I have no regrets.”
Today, Mr Martin tells how his life in prison for murder has gone downhill, causing worry for his beloved mother Hilary and costing him friendships.
When he finally got out of prison, he lived as a recluse – at one point sleeping in his car.
And he admits he still has no sympathy for burglars, saying: “I don’t think about criminals at all.
“Maybe I’m being kind when I even called them criminals. Thanks to them, the last 25 years have been like a blur for me.”
A life-changing moment
At the time of the burglary, in August 1999, Mr Martin was 54 and working on the £3 million Bleak House, which he had inherited from his aunt.
It was in complete darkness when he realized he was not alone on the property.
Making his way to the maze-like staircase of the farmhouse, he fired his pistol.
I still don’t understand how I could have been found guilty
Tony Martin
As the intruders fled, two more shots were fired. Fred was shot in the leg and back, and died at the scene.
His accomplice, Brendon Fearon, then 29, was shot in the leg and survived.
Fearon was later sentenced to three years in prison for taking part in a conspiracy to commit burglary, accompanied by Fred.
However, Mr Martin has been charged with offenses including murder, attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Kritko criticized the police action in his case, furious: “It’s an injustice. I felt like I was sewn up. I thought they assumed I was guilty and didn’t want to look at the facts that showed I wasn’t.
“I thought the police liked the idea of me lying in my clothes every night, holding a shotgun and waiting for people. The reality was, yes, I fell asleep in my clothes.
“But I acted on instinct. I felt attacked. That’s all.”
A ballistics expert at the trial at Norwich Crown Court said the evidence supported Martin’s claim that he was coming down the stairs when he opened fire.
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Fred Barras, 16, was killed by Tony Martin in a case that sparked a national debateCredit: Rex Features
Prosecutors accused him of waiting and firing without warning after previous burglaries.
They also claimed that Mr Martin, who had owned a gun since his youth, had repeatedly threatened to blow up any thieves or travelers before the break-in, as well as claiming he had planted a mine in his dilapidated house in anticipation of a break-in. He denied both claims.
It is also alleged that Mr Martin used an unlicensed shotgun and had his certificate revoked in 1994 after he fired at a vehicle belonging to an intruder he caught crunching apples.
He said: “It was bloody appalling how the prosecutors treated me.
“They said I knew what I was doing shooting them. I didn’t. I fired a caution. I felt like they lied to the referee and the referee listened.
“I hope it doesn’t happen to anybody again. I wasn’t overly happy with my own defensive team either, which I felt let me down.”
‘It is a great injustice’
Mr. Martin was sentenced to life in prison for the April 2000 murder.
His trial sparked a national debate, with some people saying he had the right to defend his property, while others were horrified by the teenager’s death.
Months later, Mr Martin’s appeal was granted, only for Judge Lord Woolf to deny him his freedom in 2001.
He said: “I thought I had the strongest case to appeal. The facts were there to support my appeal, but he chose to reject it. I still have to clear my name thanks to him. He sent me to prison.”
Mr Martin instead had his sentence reduced to five years for manslaughter and was released in 2003.
He says: “The prison was OK. I was basically left alone, but I knew I shouldn’t have been there.
“It was very upsetting and embarrassing for my dear mother. She was a decent woman and what happened really shocked her.
“In a way, the hardest thing was coming out and realizing that all my friends were gone.
“My mother lived many years after what happened and saw what I went through.”
After being released, Mr Martin lived for a time in a car in a barn near Bleak House – which had become derelict. The red brick property is now overgrown with ivy, the doors are locked and the windows boarded up.
It is a great injustice and I would like it to be reversed, but maybe it is for someone else now. I’m old
Tony Martin
The only visitors are naughty children. Mr Martin still owns the property and land nearby but sleeps with friends nearby.
He says: “I don’t live anywhere now. I have kind friends who take care of me and take me in, but I certainly don’t live in Bleak House.
“After what happened, it was violated. Tarnished. Do I miss him? Would I have gone back before what happened? Of course. But since it happened, it has taken a toll.”
He continued: “I don’t deal much with the outside world. I listen to the radio and realize how much the world has changed. I don’t watch TV. I don’t even like what’s going on in The Archers.
“It’s foreign to me. The last book I read was about Oliver Cromwell. I love history books. The last two decades have made me look at the world differently.”
Mr Martin reveals that the pandemic has been difficult for him, explaining: “I followed the rules and, when it came time to see people, I realized that many had died.”
Now his decades-long campaign to clear his name is running out.
He admits: “It is a great injustice and I would like it to be reversed, but maybe now it is for someone else.” I’m old. I don’t understand the world now.”
And a quarter of a century later, would he still pull the trigger if faced with the same situation?
He says: “It’s hard to answer because I wouldn’t want to go through what I have again. But I still maintain that I did nothing but react like most people do.”
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A police officer displayed the Winchester Pump Action shotgun that Tony Martin used to shoot Fred Barras Credit: Alamy
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The place in the farmhouse where Tony Martin shot two intrudersCredit: Reuters
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