Brendan Fearon, wounded in the 1999 Tony Martin shooting, expresses no anger after Martin’s death, reflecting on the past.
Now, at 54, Fearon says he’s changed and Martin’s death was “sad.” It marked “the end of a chapter”.
Fearon thinks Martin suffered too and as much as him. The shooting happened at Martin’s isolated farm. Fearon got hurt during the break-in. Fred Barras, 16, was shot and died during the 1999 event. Martin was jailed, sparking national debate about defending oneself.
Fearon still has pain from bullet wounds in both legs. “Life’s not been kind,” Fearon said. He knows Fred faced something cruel because Fred lost his life, and this hurt his family. “I have never felt bitterness”. He understands why the farmer shot him and feels “He did what he had to do.”
“I’m not saying he had the right”, because shooting someone dead is still wrong, Fearon said. They never should have broken in because Martin felt threatened by them. Martin’s home had been robbed many times before. Fred was killed, and Fearon, 29, was wounded in the break-in on August 20, 1999, near the Norfolk border.
Martin was found guilty of murder in 2000, and went to jail for that crime. An appeal changed it to manslaughter later and it was because of “diminished responsibility”. Martin claimed self-defense in his trial, but the prosecutors said it was planned.
Martin was jailed three years, and was out in 2003. The case changed self-defense laws. Martin never regretted shooting Fred and never went back to “Bleak House.” Martin died after a stroke last December, with the news coming out this week.
Fearon called Fred “good-hearted” and someone told him Martin died. This person thought it was “the best thing,” but Fearon disagreed. He knew Martin had loved ones. “If we’d never gone there…” No shooting or killing would have happened.
He thinks both are to blame, however, Martin lived a long life.
Fearon feared death during the event, and had surgery on his leg. He still has a “huge hole” in the other leg. The injuries didn’t stop his crime, and he was in jail several times after. His crimes included heroin and car theft.
Fearon could not work, he claimed, but he was a “bad lad” anyway! Being shot didn’t change that. He was in prison about 14 years. His crimes were burglary and theft, and he also committed drug and assault offenses.
He served three years for Martin’s case, and admitted he was guilty of burglary. Still, Fearon says he learned his lesson and that crime does not pay. He has been out of trouble twenty years, but feels the old stigma still because some people still judge him, he thinks.
Now living in Nottinghamshire, Fearon avoids trouble, and keeps to himself these days. Fearon has held various jobs, has worked in labor and fitting carpets. He also worked as a door-to-door salesman.
Fearon thinks he is a “good bloke” now, and feels more stable. He also stays grounded. He wants a job now. However, nobody hires him because of his past. Cancer took both of Fearon’s parents. Now, he loves his family, and fitness also matters a lot to him.
His family means everything, Fearon claims, and he feels bad for Fred’s mom. She lost her only son too young. He kept re-offending back then, and jail helped him change. He felt his crimes dishonored Fred, so he stopped: for himself, his family, for Fred.
He didn’t plan to rob Martin, but was with Fred and a driver that night. He agreed to help Fred sell stolen things. Fearon was a dad back then, and Fred saw him as a father figure. He just wanted to help Fred. The trio trespassed, and only two were caught, with the driver running off safely.
He remembers that terrifying night, and hid from three rottweilers. “I thought I saw a flash.” Then, Fearon felt something in his leg, and saw pouring blood. He thought a dog bit him. “The farmer wanted to shoot me.” All he heard were barking dogs.
Fearon recalls his escape. He rolled, walked while hurt, and kept thinking of his kids. He zig-zagged through the land a mile until he found a house nearby, because he needed to get safe.
He gasped for air at the house, and wanted water and help. An elderly couple assisted him, using a garden hose for him. Then, the couple called for medics. He had no clue Fred had died, as Martin did not raise the alarm, and left Fearon to “his own fate”.
He found that Martin was atop a tree, and was looking down on them. Then, Martin fired his gun. It must have scared him, because intruders had been there. Fearon does not blame him.
He found out Fred died in hospital, and was “shocked and sad.” About Martin’s sentence, he has thoughts. He thinks Martin killed someone, so he did deserve some punishment.
The first charge was murder, but it then became manslaughter. Martin got three years total, but a year may have been better. Jail would hurt him regardless. He also went to jail later, for burgling Martin, but he accepted it fully.
Fearon spent two weeks in a hospital, and next, he moved to Nottingham. Doctors did plastic surgery, because he could have lost his leg. “The left leg was saved.” They took skin from his backside, and this helped rebuild the leg. One leg has a hole with burning every day.
Fearon paid respects at Fred’s funeral, and was in a wheelchair. Family warned him not to, because they felt people would blame him. Fred looked up to him. He didn’t think he’d rob a man.
“I wish [Fred] hadn’t died.” Fred’s mother still hurts greatly. “I was trying to keep Fred safe.” It ended up getting him killed. “It makes me feel truly awful.” Fred may not have been an angel, but he did help others always.
Fearon wrote down his thoughts in jail. This happened after the raid on Martin’s place. His memoir might be shared. Its title: “Is Killing for your Castle Justified?”