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UK farmer who shot burglar freed
LONDON, England -- A farmer jailed for shooting dead a burglar's accomplice has been freed in Britain to messages of support from wellwishers and alleged death threats from distant relatives of the youth he killed. In a case which raised passions across Britain, Tony Martin was freed after serving two-thirds of his five-year sentence for shooting a burglar and killing a 16-year-old who was on the thieving mission with him. Martin, 58, who lived alone on a remote farm in Norfolk, eastern England, was released on license after repeatedly being turned down for parole because he refused to show remorse for killing Fred Barras, 16, and shooting Brendan Fearon, 33. Martin was originally jailed for life for murder but his sentence was reduced on appeal for manslaughter. The case brought further controversy on the eve of Martin's release when it was revealed Fearon, who Martin shot in the legs during a raid in his home, had been released from jail Friday, earlier than the man he targeted for crime. Fearon was less than a third of the way through an 18-month sentence for heroin dealing, imposed after he served 18 months of a three-year sentence for the farm burglary. At the weekend, UK Home Secretary David Blunkett demanded a report from the head of the Prison Service Phil Wheatley on why Martin's release coincided with that of Fearon. It was unclear whether Martin would return to Bleak Farm, Emneth Hungate, the scene of the 1999 shootings. His local MP, Henry Bellingham, said the farmer had given his story to a national newspaper and was expected to be guided by the newspaper's editor. On Monday the same newspaper, the Daily Mirror, reported that two men who said they were cousins of 16-year-old Barras had threatened to kill Martin. Said one of the men: "Tony Martin is a dead man. I don't know if it will be a traveler who will do it but it will be a proper hitman -- a professional job. The detectives can't watch him all the time." But Barras's uncle, Tony Joynes, from Newark, in England's Midlands, told the paper: "I have never heard of these people. "They are certainly not part of Fred's immediate family. It's nothing more than stupid talk and they are clearly spouting off the top of their heads. I can categorically say it's absolute rubbish. We're putting the whole episode behind us." At the weekend the only sign that someone once lived at Bleak Farm was a 1970s Rover 2000 sitting on its deflated wheels, gathering debris and cobwebs. An immaculately kept lawn has been tended to by Martin's loyal supporters, but the house itself is covered by uncontrolled ivy and the windows remain boarded up. Despite the alleged death threats -- Martin reportedly has a £60,000 underworld contract on his head -- friends say he is determined to lead "a simple life of getting back onto his tractor" and "looking at his apple trees." Police have established a mobile police station outside his farmhouse and it is thought officers will staff the unit 24 hours a day for several weeks to ensure his safety. Friends said Martin plans to spearhead campaigns on his release from prison, to protect householders who defend themselves against intruders, and to prevent burglars getting legal aid to sue for compensation if they are injured during a break-in. Fearon, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, who has 30 criminal convictions, had begun a bid to sue Martin with legal aid for up to £15,000 for being unable to work since being shot in the legs. He later said he was dropping the case. Martin's friend Malcolm Starr said he spoke to the farmer on Sunday night. Martin wanted to lead "a simple life of getting back onto his tractor, looking at his apple trees apple trees to see how they need pruning after four years, and his wild animals -- his peacocks and deer: these are the things he focuses on," he said. "Each day the Home Office or the Parole Board or the Probation Service has kept him in prison has made him stronger, because the public support has been getting fierce about his situation. "People are fed up taking for granted that from time to time they are going to be burgled."
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