[ambrose]

It is hard to be outraged by this crap anymore... part of being outraged is having some sense of shock or surprise... this is totally par for the course...

[blanknoone]

Taxpayers fund BBC. The government is taking money by force to give it to somone who tried to take it by force. Sad.

[hiredhand]

...and to think that England was once considered the greatest nation on earth.

[USNBandit]

Hey, crime does pay!

[lowbridge]

bump

[fuzzthatwuz]

"It is extremely important that the public hears the fullest possible account ... we believe that what Mr Fearon has to say is a contribution which will ensure that the programme is properly balanced and gives as full a picture as is possible."

What a crock of bull! The BBC is naive indeed, if they believe their statement. The contribution that the crook will provide can hardly be construed as "properly balanced". This is strictly a money making ploy by the network to increase viewers. Hope it backfires on them.

[LongElegantLegs]

I was just mindin' me biznness...'elping meself to a trinket 'ere, an 'eirloom there, when this crazy bugga wif' a shotgun pops me one! Killed my mate too, and 'im wif a strumpet and a drug 'abit to feed...Unfeeling popinjay, finks he's better than us wif 'is fancy 'ouse and honest job...Productive member of society! Lock 'im up again!

[Diogenesis]

"The BBC is looking for another executioner.
Book 'em, Dano."

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

What a line of crap this is. Defend your home and family and wind up in jail for it while the perp gets paid money and fame. This is what you get when your govt. starts turning socialist. You're the criminal for defending your home & family and the perp gets rewarded. Socialist governments don't want tough citizens who fight back, they want docile sheep who take their beating without complaint.

[sharktrager]

Wasn't Tony Martin the guy who was behind "The Factory" postmodern bands like "Joy Division", "New Order" and "Happy Mondays"?

[Neophyte]

...which will ensure that the programme is properly balanced and gives as full a picture as is possible.

This doesn't sound like the BBC, no matter if they pay or don't pay some participants.

Take a look on the article, for instance. It says that Martin, who - on his own property and having not police protection - releived the earth from a lowlife during an attempt to rob him, was jailed for murder reduced on appeal to manslaughter.

But it doesn't say for how long...

However, it says that the other burglar got 6 months (!).

Surely the victim of the crime had received longer sentence than the perpetrator. And it is not mentioned in the article for the purpose of good balance, I suppose.

[zarf]

[razorback-bert]

Didn't he tell his story for free on the witness stand?