Funeral held for farmer Tony Martin who shot dead teenage burglar
Martin, 80, died on February 2 and his funeral was held at Mintlyn Crematorium in King’s Lynn.
Mourners have gathered at the funeral of farmer Tony Martin, who was jailed after shooting dead a teenage burglar at his isolated farmhouse in 1999.
Martin, who died following a stroke aged 80, served three years in prison after killing 16-year-old Fred Barras and wounding 29-year-old Brendon Fearon who survived.
The farmer, who opened fire with a shotgun, was initially found guilty of murder but this was reduced to manslaughter on appeal.
The incident, at Martin’s home in Emneth Hungate in Norfolk, prompted widespread debate about an individual’s right to defend their property.
Martin died on February 2 and his funeral was held at Mintlyn Crematorium in King’s Lynn on Tuesday.
Red roses rested on top of his coffin as it was driven to the entrance of the chapel in a black hearse.
A funeral director, with a top hat and cane, walked ahead of the hearse which came to a stop at the front of the building, with pallbearers carrying the coffin inside.
A teddy bear and a framed photo of Martin were placed beside the coffin as the service, attended by dozens of people and led by Reverend Sandra Gardner, took place.
Addressing those gathered, Rev Gardner said: “There are many people who think that they knew Tony from the media coverage over the years.
“But those of you gathered here today are those who knew him best and understood the whole person that he was.”
She read a tribute from one of Martin’s cousins, whose name was given only as Tish, who Rev Gardner said was “one of the people he was closest to in his early years”.
Reading the tribute, Rev Gardner said: “Tony and I were very close as children and used to always join up against all our other cousins.
“We would always support one another in any way we could and being older I used to stand up for Tony as I felt he was very misunderstood.
“Unfortunately, Tony was sent to boarding school at a very young age and apart from being very sports orientated, and won many sports trophies, he was very misunderstood and didn’t enjoy the rest of boarding school life which left him very lonely and with a sad attitude to his life.
“Nowadays he would have received help on how to cope and would have had the part of the Asperger’s side of his character explained to him.”
She said that Martin “travelled, worked on oil rigs and spent time in Australia and New Zealand”.
“Unfortunately he never recovered from the horrendous attacks he, his dogs and his property were subjected to over many years,” she said.
“And because of his somewhat odd behaviour and people not understanding what he was going through.
“But he did his best to survive.
“This left him very alone and misunderstood and life became very difficult for him to find any kind of happiness as he didn’t understand how to re-evaluate the change.”
Rev Gardner said Martin “loved to spend time in his garden tending and nurturing all that he grew”.
She said that he “liked a marmalade sandwich of all things, he loved his teddy bears, he liked his films including Out Of Africa”.
On the back page of the order of service, Martin’s family asked that any donations in his memory be made to the Welney Wildfowl Trust.
