The taxpayer funded BBC is coming under fire for paying �4,500 to interview Brendon Fearon, the burglar and career criminal who was shot by homeowner Tony Martin. Martin also shot and killed Fearon's accomplice, and served time for using lethal force to defend himself.

Malcolm Starr, a friend of Mr Martin, said that Channel 4 had pulled out of making a similar documentary because the farmer [Tony Martin] 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.

After Martin was jailed for defending himself, the U.K. government went so far as to pay the intruder �5,000 and provide him legal counsel to sue the homeowner for shooting him. Now the government is paying him even more to provide an interview and testimonial that will undoubtedly come down on the side of criminal's rights. It would appear that breaking into Mr. Martin's home was the best decision Fearon ever made.