Mirror cleared over payment for Martin story
The press industry’s watchdog has ruled that a payment from the Daily Mirror to jailed farmer Tony Martin did not breach its code.
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) rules outlaw members from handing over cash to criminals. However, the PCC decided that the alleged £100,000 paid to Martin for his interview was in the public interest.
Martin, 58, gave a series of interviews to the Mirror shortly after his release from prison in July.
He was sentenced to five years in jail for the manslaughter of 16-year-old burglar Fred Barras. The farmer shot the teenager after he and his accomplice Brendon Fearon broke into Martin’s remote Norfolk farmhouse in August 1999. Fearon, 33, was also shot in the leg by Martin.
The case caused a national debate over residents’ rights to defend their property.
The PCC declared that the story became part of a national debate on law and order and said it had taken into consideration the fact that Fearon had been granted legal aid to sue Martin for his injuries, who had no access to similar funds.
A number of newspapers were unhappy that Martin appeared to be profiting from his crime and claimed the Mirror had breached the PCC’s code of practice.
After a two-month investigation, the Commission said: “It was clear that what Mr Martin had to say was of considerable importance in generating a major debate about law and order.”
The ruling said the newspaper had not glorified or praised Martin for what he had done and the PCC accepted the Mirror “did not necessarily agree” with the farmer’s views or condone his actions.
The watchdog said the newspaper had been right to expose Martin to public scrutiny because he had been applauded by some for his actions and noted that he had been paid by a television programme for an interview, without being investigated by the Independent Television Commission.
