Fred Barras suffered fatal gunshot wounds

7 September 1999: Judge David Mellor rules Mr Martin should be freed on conditional bail at a 30-minute hearing behind closed doors at Norwich Crown Court.

9 September 1999: Hundreds of mourners congregate for Mr Barras's funeral at St Mary Magdalene Church in the centre of Newark, Nottingham.

Mr Martin has his bail revoked and is returned to Norwich prison for his own protection.

10 January 2000: Fearon and Darren Bark, 33, both from Newark, Nottinghamshire, admit conspiring to burgle Bleak House, accompanied by Mr Barras.

Fearon is jailed for three years for conspiracy to burgle, with Bark receiving a 30-month sentence at Norwich Crown Court.

10 April 2000: At Norwich Crown Court, Mr Martin denies murdering Mr Barras and further charges of attempting to murder Fearon, wounding Fearon with intent to cause injury and possessing a Winchester pump action shotgun with intent to endanger life. He admits not having a firearms licence.

Brendan Fearon: Sustained gunshot wounds to his legs

14 April 2000: Norwich Crown Court hears that Mr Martin is taken to a secret address under police protection after death threats are made against him and reports of a �60,000 price tag on his life are emerge.

19 April 2000: Mr Martin is jailed for life for the murder of Mr Barras, with 10 years to run concurrently for the wounding offence and a further 12 months for possession of an illegal firearm.

20 April 2000: Mr Martin's solicitor, Nick Makin pledges to appeal against his client's conviction.

Mr Martin's legal team say a female juror has reportedly called an independent Norfolk radio station claiming they received threats during the trial.

21 April 2000: The independent Broadlands 102 FM radio station in Norwich insists the woman who contacted the station did not mention being threatened.

Tony Jones, the uncle of Mr Barras, denies anybody connected to the teenager's family made any attempt to intimidate jurors.

Hundred of mourners attended Mr Barras's funeral

25 April 2000: Officials at Norwich Crown Court decide not to launch an inquiry into the allegations of jury intimidation during the trial.

After several hours of discussions, they conclude there is no hard evidence to back up the claims, in the absence of any formal complaints to police.

26 April 2000: The family of one of the jurors tells the BBC members of the jury believed they were being stared at by people in the public gallery and felt afraid leaving the court.

Mr Martin's legal team say they will pursue the claims to the Court of Appeal in an attempt to get their client's murder conviction quashed.

28 April 2000: Mr Martin's lawyers fax a notice of appeal against his conviction for murder to the Court of Appeal in London.

19 June 2000: The appeal begins. Three Court of Appeal judges rule that police can take the unusual step of submitting written questions to the jurors in the trial over whether they were intimidated.

27 July 2000: Mr Justice Curtis grants permission for Mr Martin to appeal against his conviction for unlawful wounding but against the murder charge.

6 August 2000: It emerges that Mr Barras's family is to seek compensation for his death.

14 August 2000: Mr Martin announces he intends to replace his solicitor and barrister with a new legal team.

29 August 2000: Mr Martin launches a new appeal against his murder conviction, claiming that he was not properly represented at his trial.

15 October 2000: Mr Martin's supporters appeal for funds to help him fight his murder conviction.

10 August 2001: Fearon is freed from prison following a parole board hearing.

15 October 2001: Michael Wolkind, QC, who heads Mr Martin's new legal team, tells the Court of Appeal that his trial lawyers had not presented Mr Martin's own account of what happened.

He said there was "compelling" evidence to show that the farmer acted in self-defence and under provocation or diminished responsibility.

17 October 2001: Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf - sitting with Mr Justice Wright and Mr Justice Grigson - reserves judgement on Mr Martin's appeal to a later date and says their decision would be given "as soon as possible".

30 October 2001: Mr Martin's murder conviction reduced to manslaughter, and his 10-year sentence for wounding the burglar's accomplice cut to three years, to run concurrently.