Tony Martin was denied fair trial
16 October 2001
Tony Martin ‘was denied fair trial’
By Adrienne Francis
THE High Court appeal by Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer jailed for life after murdering a teenage burglar, has entered its second day.
Mr Martin, 56, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court last year for killing 16-year-old Fred Barras at his Norfolk farmhouse in 1999.
Michael Wolkind QC, who is leading a new legal team challenging the life sentence, has already told the court that Mr Martins trial was unfair.
There was “compelling” evidence to show that the farmer had acted in self-defence and under provocation, he said on Monday (15 October).
Mr Wolkind told the court there had been a “crucial misunderstanding” by the trial defence team relating to Mr Martins firing position.
Medical testimonies suggest Mr Martin was suffering from a long-standing “paranoid personality disorder” and was sexually abused as a child.
Phillip Joseph, a psychiatrist, compared Mr Martins farmhouse to the home of Miss Havisham in the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations.
It was “clearly the home of a mentally disordered person,” he said.
- Tony Martin murder appeal starts, FWi, 15 October, 2001
- Tony Martin wins right to appeal, FWi, 28 July, 2000
- Farmer jailed for murder will appeal, FWi, 20 April, 2000
- Norfolk farmer gets life for murder, FWi, 19 April, 2000
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