Tony Martin , Last Night Documentary On Tv

[SparklyKid]

Should this be in TV, news, society and culture, not sure.

Very interesting documentary regarding the police interviews.At the end the real Tony was interviewed outside his old house. He served three years for murder, later reduced to manslaughter.

He was asked if he regretted killing a 16 year old. He said he was sorry for his mother but added that when he was sixteen he did not go 60 miles from home burgling.

I think he was quite right in his actions, his only problem was that he refused to show remorse. Worth a watch.

[hereIam]

I don't find that a problem to be honest.

[SparklyKid]

It seems he may have been a bit odd, but no excuse to burgle his home.

[hereIam]

Indeed, if you are going to burgle other people's property, you have to be aware that they may fight back.

[ummmm]

I only seen clippits of it.

Didn't he say that something bad happened to him when he was young and no one goes into his house?

Burglars have to understand that most farmers or people living on farm land have guns.

[nailit]

//his only problem was that he refused to show remorse//
Don't see why that is a problem. Why should he show remorse? Someone broke into his home and paid the price. If someone broke into my home I wouldn't think twice about shooting them (if I had a gun), how would I know whether or not THEY were tooled up and ready to kill me first?
As far as Im concerned, Martin did nothing more than protect himself and his property, he should not have been jailed.

[sandyRoe]

The teenager he killed couldn't have been presenting much of a threat as he was shot in the back.
The manslaughter verdict seems a fair one.

[grumpy01]

Didn't watch it last night but as I remember didn't he shoot his victim on leaving the property rather than entering it.This is what brought about his initial conviction for murder.

[gingejbee]

I didn't see it....but wouldn't call it a "documentary".
Radio Times ...."Drama of the Week"....and "factual drama".

[ummmm]

Shot him in the back as he was running away is what I read in the papers.

[nailit]

He might have shot him in the back but who can honestly say that we wouldn't have done the same when the adrenalin is pumping and fright takes over?
We tend not to think rationally when confronted with a stranger in our home at night.

[Mamyalynne]

Never having been in the position of needing to shoot someone as he did, I don't know what I'd have done.

One thing I do know because I know myself, is I would have felt remorse.

We are all different in our make up.

[DarceyK123]

If he wasnt there he wouldnt have been shot at all, front, back, wherever.

If only more people had the guts to confront these scum they might think twice about it. But these days even if they do get caught not much happens to them so the risk is worth it.

[ummmm]

Nailit...I can honestly say that I wouldn't shoot someone running away. Couldn't say the same about shooting someone I was confronted with inside my house.

[ummmm]

Not much happens to them, Darcey? The kid is dead. He paid the ultimate price for his dishonest ways.

I don't feel sympathy for the 'victim' and I don't think Tony Martin should have been sent to prison. From what I read it was the 3rd time he'd been burgled that year.

That, imo, is where the emotion came from.

[nailit]

Fair enough ummmm.
Really don't know what Id do in his situation (as Ive never been in it), just making the point that we really cant say what we would do if we were. Adrenalin, fright etc can make us all react in different ways and its easy for us...that havnt been in that situation...to judge.

Ive been in a couple of situations in the past where my 'fight or flight' response has been totally irrational in retrospect and way over the top.
Its a tricky one unless one has been in such a situation.

[ladybirder]

He had no lights in his house except in his bedroom. He was so afraid living there that he had removed part of the stairs at the bottom and the same at the top. He heard them but didn't see them and thought they were attempting to climb the stairs. At least one of them had a torch which he saw and aimed a shot lower than the light from the torch presumably thinking he would do less damage to the person holding it. The older of the two was a career criminal and Fred, the younger one, was well on the way to being the same according to the programme. And I believe Tony is on the Autistic spectrum. He's not lived there since, it's empty. I felt sad for him. But thoroughly enjoyed the programme.

[DarceyK123]

Ummm you missed my point, i meant USUALLY nothing happens, if they thought they might get shot and/killed they would certainly think twice about it.

But at the moment they dont. If more people defended themself they would.

[ToraToraTora]

should have been knighted.

[ToraToraTora]

sandy: "The teenager he killed couldn't have been presenting much of a threat as he was shot in the back. " - I wondered who would come out with that. Usual H0rse tish, it was dark me old china! He had been burgled countless times by these scum.

[Mamyalynne]

Don't be rude, you can disagree without having to write backwards to cheat the filter.