Brendon Fearon

Brendon Fearon of Newark, Nottinghamshire, is a career criminal. He was convicted for conspiring to burgle the home of farmer Tony Martin in a notorious raid on 20 August, 1999. His accomplice, 16-year-old Fred Barras, was fatally shot by Martin near his remote farmhouse in Emneth Hungate, Norfolk. Fearon, aged 29 at the time, was hospitalised with gunshot wounds to his legs.

Background

Fearon, a small time career criminal who had been convicted of a string of about thirty offences, starting with handling stolen goods in September 1986, for which he was fined £25, through theft, burglary, drugs, fraud and wounding, for which he received a 1 year sentence, his third and longest custodial sentence, in May 1997.

Bleak House burglary

Fearon had planned to burgle Bleak House, belonging to Tony Martin, after he had heard fellow Gypsies talking in a Newark pub two months earlier about the farm, which had been burgled several times. On 20 August, Fearon persuaded Darren Bark, 33, also from Newark-on-Trent, to drive Barras and himself to the farm. Bark stayed in the car waiting in a lane, while Fearon and Barras entered the farmhouse.cite news
title = Timeline: The Tony Martin case
publisher = BBC News
date = 2003-07-28
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/3087003.stm
accessdate = 2007-02-13 ] When confronted they attempted to flee through a window but were shot by Martin; Fearon in the leg and Barras in the back. Barras died in the grounds but Fearon was able to leave and obtain medical assistance.Fact|date=February 2007 Martin subsequently left the farm and spent the night at a friend's house.Fact|date=February 2007

On 10 January 2000 Fearon and Bark admitted to conspiring to burgle Martin's farmhouse. Fearon was sentenced to three years in prison and Bark to 30 months (with an additional 12 months arising from previous offences). Fearon was released on August 10 2001.

In April of the same year Martin was convicted of murdering Barras, the charge was reduced to manslaughter, the sentence to 5 years, on appeal, due to diminished responsibility. Fearon was released after eighteen months, Martin after about three years, having been refused early parole.

ubsequent events

Compensation claim

During 2003, Fearon applied for, and received, an estimated £5,000 of legal aid to sue Martin for loss of earnings due to the injury he sustained. [cite news
last = Morris
first = Steven
title = Legal aid for burglar shot by Tony Martin
publisher = The Guardian
date = 2002-06-06
url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/martin/article/0,,751000,00.html
accessdate = 2007-02-13] However, the case was thrown into doubt when photographs were published in "The Sun" suggesting that Fearon's injuries were not as serious as had been claimed. [cite news
last = Allison
first = Rebecca
title = Legal action by burglar 'in doubt'
publisher = The Guardian
date = 2003-08-20
url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1021965,00.html
accessdate = 2007-02-13] Fearon later dropped the case when Martin agreed to drop a counter-claim. [cite news
last = Morris
first = Steven
title = Martin expected to end legal dispute with burglar
publisher = The Guardian
date = 2003-09-22
url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/martin/article/0,,1046851,00.html
accessdate = 2007-02-13]

BBC documentary

In March 2005, the BBC was criticised for making a monetary payment, widely reported to be £4,500, to Fearon in return for an interview. The interview and information thus gathered was intended for a documentary being made about the case. The payment was justified by the BBC on the basis that Fearon was the only person who could provide specific information on what happened during the Tony Martin break-in. [cite news
last = Temple
first = Magnus
title = Why I was right to pay Tony Martin's burglar
publisher = The Independent
date = 2006-03-06
url = http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article349452.ece
accessdate = 2007-02-14] Critics, including John Humphrys on the "Today" programme Fact|date=February 2007, responded that the Fearon's testimony was a matter of public record. Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the Lord Chancellor, described the BBC payment as a "disgusting warping of our values". [cite news
title = BBC burglar payment 'disgusting'
publisher = BBC News
date = 2005-03-04
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4320583.stm
accessdate = 2007-02-15]

ubsequent allegations

Fearon was again jailed for 18 months on 2003-02-06 for dealing in heroin. [cite news
title = 'Notorious' burglar jailed over drugs
publisher = BBC News
date = 2003-02-06
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2733271.stm
accessdate = 2007-02-14 ] Controversy was again provoked, in July 2003 when Fearon left Ranby prison after serving less than a third of his 18-month sentence - just days before Martin's release. The Home Secretary, David Blunkett requested an explanation from the head of the prison service. [cite news
title = Blunkett orders report on Martin burglar
publisher = BBC News
date = 2003-07-26
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3098637.stm
accessdate = 2007-02-14 ]

On 2 September 2003 Fearon was arrested for taking a Toyota Land Cruiser on August 24 without the owner's consent. [cite news
last = Morris
first = Steven
title = Martin burglar back in custody
publisher = The Guardian
date = 2003-09-05
url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/martin/article/0,2763,1035921,00.html
accessdate = 2007-02-14] On 2003-11-09, he was found guilty of driving the vehicle without insurance and recalled to prison to serve the remainder of the preceding sentence. [cite news
title = Martin burglar jailed
publisher = BBC News
date = 2003-11-19
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/3284935.stm
accessdate = 2007-02-14 ]

In August 2005 Fearon was arrested with Dean Thompson, accused of drawing out £11,000 from a bank machine using stolen cash cards. Fearon was bailed to appear before magistrates in October. [cite news
title = Two accused over bank card thefts
publisher = BBC News
date = 2005-08-26
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/4188090.stm
accessdate = 2007-02-14 ]

In February 2006, Fearon was banned from two public houses in Newark. The Crown Court Judge called Fearon "a menace" and issued him with an 18 month community order for his part in causing a large disorder occurring at the said locations [cite news
title = Martin case man banned for brawl
publisher = BBC News
date = 2006-02-20
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/4733478.stm
accessdate = 2007-02-14 .]

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/3087003.stm BBC timeline of events in the Martin case]