The Tony Martin Case

[mac2]

Been watching true crime documentaries about cases in the UK and the US. Just seen this one - thought it might be of interest - some of you will have heard of it, it did make the news at the time in the states. Here's an overview:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Martin_(farmer)

and here's a video:

Real Crime A Shot In The Dark (Crime Documentary) - YouTube

One of the things I thought was interesting was the state of his house, made me look a model of tidiness and house proud...

 

[Texas Star]

Before I watch a video, can you tell us briefly what the case is about ?

The only case I'm actively following is the Oscar Pistorious shooting of his lawyer/model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in South Africa. The gun looks like a shortened version of the basic Taurus stainless copy of the Beretta 92. I don't think Taurus sells it here. Beretta used to offer an equivalent. An administrator on the Beretta board confirmed it's a Taurus. If you get a look at it, look for the slide retraction grooves. Recent Taurus; not Beretta. Pistorious is rich, so could afford a Beretta. Don't know why he bought a Taurus. You could buy Berettas there even during the UN embargo in apartheid days, and the Z-88 licensed copy was made there.

I'm betting an argument triggered the shooting, which also involved a bloody cricket bat. But the TV news today said that the court has ordered a psychological exam of the defendant, to see if he is prone to overreaction when he feels threatened. He said that he woke suddenly, and thought he was shooting at an intruder. In a locked bathroom? Without checking first to see if Reeva was still in bed?

Based on documentaries about him, I do feel he is over primed to react too quickly to a perceived threat. Given his Olympic fame, his wealth, and the crime problem in South Africa, he's logically pretty wary. But I think more was involved this time. He even told the gate guard, who'd heard the shots, that all was well, and called the police some time after.

 

[Alpo]

Tony Martin, if I'm remembering the right case, was an Englishman that shot a burglar. He was sent to jail for life, for murder, because he shot that "poor boy that was turning his life around". I believe he used an unregistered shotgun.

I think he got pardoned after doing three years.

 

[mac2]

Before I watch a video, can you tell us briefly what the case is about ?

As per the wiki link...

 

[Texas Star]

As per the wiki link...

Did you click that link? It just says that they have no such article! Why post such a link?

 

[b_san]

Did you click that link? It just says that they have no such article! Why post such a link?

It's just because the last ) got cut off by the auto html link creater code. You can add a ) to the end of the link you clicked on or click the one below.

Tony Martin (farmer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

This video was made in 2008 and it explains the Tony Martin case as well as the confiscation of British weapons. The Tony Martin segment begins at the 4 minute mark.

Transsylvania Phoenix: The British called, they want their guns back

 

[mac2]

It's just because the last ) got cut off by the auto html link creater code. You can add a ) to the end of the link you clicked on or click the one below.

Tony Martin (farmer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks for that

 

[LVSteve]

The Tony Martin case turned around the ridiculous state of affairs in the UK regarding self defence and police response. All of a sudden the general public woke up to the fact "when seconds count, the police are only minutes away". They were not happy with the news and let Parliament know it.

Also around that time there was another case involving a thug who ended up on the end of his own knife, fatally. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) went after the victim and I don't think the trial made it to day 2 before the judge dismissed the case. He used careful legalese, but the short version was that the deceased had played stupid games and won the appropriate prize. Ever since these cases the CPS has been less eager to jump on the victims of crime who fight back.