Exactly one year after the death of convicted killer Tony Martin, the dilapidated farmhouse where he shot dead a teenage intruder is finally being cleared, yet mystery shrouds who now owns the notorious property.
New Photos Reveal Dramatic Changes
Fresh photographs taken this month show a substantial pile of rubbish outside the crumbling remains of Bleak House, located near Wisbech on the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire border. The heap includes filing cabinets, drawers, a bicycle, oil drums, and a lawnmower, while a yellow digger has been spotted parked nearby.
The outbuildings now appear empty, and the high grass and brambles that surrounded the farmhouse a year ago have been trimmed back. This clearance has sparked suggestions that whoever inherited the property from Martin, who died from a stroke aged 80, could be preparing it for sale on the market.
A Property Steeped in Notoriety
Bleak House was already in a dilapidated state before the fatal shooting in 1999, and today it continues to crumble into the ground. The house lacks a front door or windows, with holes in the roof and broken glass from the burglary still littering the floor. Shotgun pellets remain embedded in the wall at the foot of the stairs, a stark reminder of the violent incident.
Tony Martin never returned to Bleak House after completing his prison sentence for the manslaughter of 16-year-old Fred Barras in 2003. Instead, he is believed to have lived in cars, a barn, and rented accommodation before his health declined.
The Controversial Shooting and Its Aftermath
The killing of Fred Barras on August 20, 1999, ignited fierce national debate, dividing public opinion over whether Martin's actions were premeditated or a justified defence of his property. Barras and 29-year-old Brendan Fearon had travelled from Newark, Nottinghamshire, to raid Martin's home.
Upon hearing the break-in, Martin came downstairs from an upstairs bedroom and opened fire with a pump-action shotgun. Barras was found dead the following day in undergrowth surrounding the property, while an injured Fearon crawled to a nearby house for help.
Legal Proceedings and Changing Laws
Martin was initially convicted of murder in 2000 and jailed for life, with additional sentences for wounding and possession of an illegal firearm. Prosecutors claimed he had anticipated the burglary and lain in wait, though Martin maintained he acted in self-defence.
The conviction was later reduced to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility after Martin was diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder. A decade later in 2013, the law changed with the Crime and Courts Act, introducing a 'householder's defence' for using 'reasonable' force against intruders.
Martin's Later Years and Unresolved Legacy
In an interview with the EDP newspaper three years ago, Martin revealed that his land was being worked by someone else and he planned to leave the farmhouse to an undisclosed individual upon his death. He consistently insisted that those who broke into properties deserved their fate.
Speaking in 2019, Martin stated: 'What happened to me is important to every man, woman and child in this country - not just to me.' Two years ago, he insisted he 'doesn't regret anything' about the events of August 20, 1999, expressing a desire to clear his name but acknowledging legal barriers.
Reconciliation and Reflection
Following Martin's death on February 2, 2025, Brendan Fearon spoke publicly, revealing he held 'no anger' towards the farmer. Fearon told the Mirror: 'Life's not been kind to me but it was much crueller to little Fred, who lost his life, and his family. But I have never felt any bitterness or animosity towards that farmer. He did what he had to do to protect himself and his home.'
Martin, who never married and had no children, inherited the £3 million Bleak House Farm in Emneth Hungate, Norfolk, from his aunt four decades ago. The property's future now hangs in the balance as clearance work progresses, leaving unanswered questions about ownership and what comes next for this infamous location.
