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Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who shot a teenage intruder at his remote farmhouse in 1999, left an estate valued at over £2.5 million to a close friend, according to his will. Martin passed away last February at the age of 80, and probate records disclose that he bequeathed his wealth and property to Jacqueline Wadley, a former pub landlady from Cambridgeshire, and her husband David.
In 2000, Martin was convicted of murdering 16-year-old Fred Barras and injuring 29-year-old Brendon Fearon during the same incident at Martin’s isolated farmhouse known as Bleak House in Emneth Hungate. Although sentenced to life imprisonment, Martin’s murder conviction was ultimately reduced to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility, leading to his release after three years behind bars. The case generated widespread debate across the UK about the limits of homeowners’ rights in defending their property.
Martin’s will, signed in January 2013 and recently made public, appointed the Wadleys as executors and trustees of his estate. A probate document dated February 2026 confirms that the net value of his estate was £2,567,795, with the couple residing in Wisbech named as beneficiaries. Malcolm Starr, a friend of Martin, told the BBC that Wadley “deserved every penny” due to her longstanding loyalty and support. He recounted that Wadley had gradually built a close friendship with Martin after his release from prison while she managed the Hare and Hounds pub in Wisbech. She provided him with accommodation and helped with various errands, earning Martin’s deep appreciation.
At the time of the shooting, Martin lived alone in the dilapidated farmhouse situated on the Norfolk-Cambridgeshire border. The prosecution’s case claimed that on the night of August 20, 1999, Barras and Fearon had traveled from Newark, Nottinghamshire, to break into Bleak House intent on burglary, where Martin kept antiques. Martin confronted them after coming downstairs from his bedroom and fired a pump-action shotgun, killing Barras on the spot and wounding Fearon, who was hospitalized. Martin defended his actions as self-defense, while prosecutors alleged he had set an ambush. Public opinion was sharply divided; some viewed him as a defender of his home, whereas others saw him as a vigilante. Following his conviction for murder, Martin was sentenced to life imprisonment with additional concurrent terms for wounding and firearm possession. However, after the charge was downgraded due to a diagnosis of paranoid personality disorder, he was freed in 2003.
The high-profile nature of this case contributed to legislative change, with the 2013 Crime & Courts Act introducing a “householder’s defence.” This law provides legal protection for homeowners using reasonable force against intruders, provided it is not grossly disproportionate—a change influenced by the Tony Martin trial and similar incidents. In a 2019 interview, Martin reflected on his experience, saying: “I’ve always said when people get into exceptional circumstances which are beyond the norm, the law should leave you alone. You should be protected in law against these things.”
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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