Tony Martin - a farmer who shot dead a teenage burglar at his home - has died, a family friend has said. Mr Martin sparked a national debate after he shot and killed 16-year-old Fred Barras on his remote Norfolk farm in 1999.

He fired his shotgun three times towards the intruders, killing Barras and was initially found guilty of murder, before this was reduced to manslaughter on appeal. Mr Martin spent a total of three years in prison and after suffering a stroke in December last year,

Convicted killer Tony Martin, who shot dead a teenage intruder in his home in 1999, has died at the age of 80, a family friend has said.

Farmer Tony Martin, who was jailed for shooting and killing a teenage burglar, has died at the age of 80, a friend has confirmed.

Martin served three years in prison after shooting Fred Barras, 16, at his home in Emneth Hungate, Norfolk, in 1999.

Tony Martin, who has died aged 80, was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 for the murder of a teenage criminal he caught burgling his house; the case became a cause célèbre, touching a raw nerve among Britain’s homeowners and revealing a huge gulf between public opinion and the priorities of Britain’s criminal justice system.

Tony Martin was initially found guilty of murdering Fred Barras, 16, who was killed after breaking into the farmer's home in Emneth Hungate, Norfolk, in 1999

A farmer who shot dead a teenage intruder and was found guilty of murder “never recovered” from the impact of the killing, a close friend has said.