'The fate of Tony Martin's 2.5m fortune is the final twist in a life blighted by controversy'

Reporter Dan Warburton spent time with farmer Tony Martin before his death and reflects on a life marred by the brutal shooting of teenage burglar Fred Barass at the now notorious Bleak House Farm

Dan Warburton Senior News Reporter

11:51, 18 Feb 2026

View 5 Images

Tony Martin was jailed for shooting dead teenage burglar Fred Barras and injuring his accomplice Brendan Fearon in 1999(Image: PA)

To the outside world, Tony Martin was a reclusive loner who lived his life under the shadow of a murder conviction for shooting dead a teenage burglar.

But to Jacqueline Wadsley and her family he was a loveable friend with whom they shared roast dinners, glasses of wine and spent time planting roses in their garden. I met Martin a number of times on his Bleak House farm estate - the scene of the 1999 killing of Fred Barass, 16, which thrust the farmer into the spotlight.

Despite more than 20 years passing since the murder conviction was downgraded to manslaughter, he was obsessed with the notion he had been fitted up by a crooked justice system and desperate to clear his name. Often rambling and incoherent, he spoke only of trying to clear his name and seemed hell-bent on holding the "corrupt" system which "fitted him up" to account.

[Tony Martin]

View 5 Images

Exclusive images given to the Daily Mirror show Mr Martin enjoying dinner with Jacqui Wadsley and her family

[Tony Martin and Jacqueline Wadsley]

View 5 Images

Tony Martin met landlady Jacqueline Wadsley in 2003 in his local boozer after he was freed from prison for killing a teenage burglar

Before the shooting of Fred and his accomplice Brendan Fearon, Martin was described as an eccentric loner who spent his days hoarding antiques and nurturing apples. He was constantly wary of burglars and was said to have harboured a pet hatred of travellers

Many people around the village of Emneth Hungate, Norfolk, believed him to be harmless but others stayed away from his tumbledown home, curiously named Bleak House. It was there that Martin lived in chaos and self-imposed isolation with his three rottweilers, Otto, Bruno and Daniel.

He was said to have slept with his boots on and his shotgun by his bedside, guarding his stash of antiques from anyone foolish enough to try to steal them. The son of a wealthy fruit farmer, the young Martin was said at his trial to have pursued quiet and insular hobbies including model-making. He later collected teddy bears and even took one along to his murder trial.

[Jacqueline Wadsley and her husband, David]

View 5 Images

Jacqueline Wadsley and her husband, David, were named as trustees of Mr Martin's estate and stand to inherit his 2.5m fortune

He left school at 17 and worked his way around the world until he inherited Bleak House from his aunt and uncle. He gradually let the place fall into disrepair because of a lack of money but still managed to make a living from his orchard. Martin became convinced that he was a target for burglars and kept guns around the house, with cartridges in pots and drawers, and sometimes had occasion to use them.

He told the jury that he had caught a burglar stuffing a pillowcase with trinkets and that property had disappeared over the years. In 1976 he was said to have gone to a friend's house and brandished a World War I revolver. In 1987 he had an argument at his brother Robin's house over some property and was said to have smashed windows with a shotgun.

Article continues below

[Fred Barras]

View 5 Images

Fred Barras was just 16 when he was killed during the shooting in 1999 after trying to burgle Mr Martin's now-notorious Bleak House property(Image: Rex Features)

His shotgun certificate was revoked in 1994 after he found a man scrumping apples in his orchard and shot a hole in the back of the man's vehicle. The shooting of Fred and Brendan, who was 29 at the time, cast Martin in the role of folk hero among many of his farming neighbours.

Over the past 12 months, since Mr Martin's passing, there have been rumours and speculation about what would happen to his dilapidated estate. Now, following the remarkable revelation he handed it all over to Jacqui and her husband, maybe he will be able to rest in peace.

Dan Warburton

Dan has been with the Daily Mirror since 2022. Prior to that, he spent eight years with the Sunday Mirror, covering terror attacks, crime stories and current affairs in the UK and around the world. He has covered humanitarian disasters across Africa in the Ivory Coast, the DRC and Kenya, as well as the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh and the exploitation of migrants from Nepal for the Qatar World Cup. He reported from Tunisia and Paris during the terror attacks in 2015, as well as the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017. Dan was previously Chief Reporter at the Evening Chronicle, The Journal and Sunday Sun in Newcastle.

[Daily Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.