CRITICISM was mounting on the BBC last night when it was revealed that a burglar was being paid £4,500 for speaking on a television documentary about the fatal 1999 break-in at the farmhouse of Tony Martin.

Brendon Fearon, who has convictions for burglary and drug offences, was wounded by Mr Martin in the raid on Bleak House, in Norfolk. His accom- plice, Fred Barras, 16, was shot dead.

BBC One was attacked the day after the BBC was told to improve its public service performance in return for renewal of the licence fee. Its guidelines state that convicted criminals should not be paid unless they offer a “contribution of remarkable importance with a clear public interest that could not be obtained without payment”.

Friends of the farmer said that he had refused to take part in the programme after learning that the producers intended to engineer an on-camera confrontation with Mr Fearon.

Mr Martin was jailed for murdering the teenage intruder but his conviction was later reduced to one of manslaughter.

Mr Fearon was given £5,000 to sue the 57-year-old farmer but backed down from taking legal action.

Malcolm Starr, a friend of Mr Martin, said that Channel 4 had pulled out of making a similar documentary because the farmer refused to participate.

He said: “Tony Martin refused any money or to meet his tormentor in a face-to face confrontation. It is utterly disgraceful that the BBC is handing over our hard-earned money to someone who has been in and out of prison his whole life.”

BBC Television said that it planned to go ahead with the documentary next month. A spokesman insisted that the Fearon interview met the strict criteria on payment to criminals. “It is extremely important that the public hears the fullest possible account of the event that led to the death of a 16-year-old boy and the imprisonment of Tony Martin,” he said.

“Mr Fearon is the only person, apart from Tony Martin, who is alive and a witness to what happened. There is public controversy about householders’ rights to protect their homes from intruders.” Mr Fearon’s contribution would ensure that the programme was balanced, the spokesman said.

The BBC has promised to inform viewers when any interviewee has been paid more than £10,000 for a contribution. Although the sum is less, viewers will be told during the documentary that Mr Fearon had been paid.

Peter Horrocks, the BBC’s head of current affairs, promised last year that the corporation would withdraw from “chequebook journalism”. He said the BBC had made errors when offering large sums to celebrities such as George Best, who was paid £25,000 to talk about his alcoholism.

Henry Bellingham, the Tory MP for North West Norfolk, described the BBC’s explanation as “the most pathetic excuse I have ever heard”.

He added: “It is grossly insensitive for an organisation that is meant to show complete balance.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• How I lost the gift of joy for a while
• Why Ann Widdecombe has got it wrong
• Alas, it’s the end of the road for petrolheads