I believe the Tony Martin case could become pivotal in forcing a change in the law about our right to defend our homes and ourselves against the activities of burglars.

But it can only happen if journalists, broadcasters, public pressure groups and enough courageous Members of Parliament are persistent enough for long enough.

The Home Office and the legal establishment from the Lord Chancellor down have to be persuaded the vast majority of us have had enough of their indifference to the heartbreak caused by criminals.

The only reason the farmer Tony Martin was refused early parole was political.

The Home Office was concerned that early release for a man who was honest and refused to show remorse for what he had done would send out all the wrong signals about how we are allowed to defend our homes.

On the other hand, it was deemed appropriate to release a scoundrel like Brendan Fearon after he had served one third of his sentence.

Home Secretary David Blunkett defended Fearon's early release from jail, saying it was "determined entirely in accordance with established procedures".

Let us be clear about burglary. It is an obscene crime. When a burglar breaks into a home, he commits a crime against something most of us hold to be precious.

He violates our lives, penetrates with an uncaring ruthlessness to the heart of our privacy.

Apart from the monetary value of what he takes, he plunders the memories, the emotions and the safety of our lives.

It is for all of these things, and more, that we talk of the Englishman's home being his castle.

It is unacceptable that a criminal, engaged in such activity, should be able to call on the full protection of the law if his plans go awry. It is insanity.

From the moment a burglar sets foot in someone else's home, he should forfeit all legal rights and protections.

It is then for the householder to assess the danger and take whatever action he feels necessary to defend his home and himself.

It is not for some remote judge, who spends his life protected by police and electronic surveillance systems, to tell him what was excessive force in a terrifying confrontation, and what was not.

Of course the police, crippled by under funding and under manning, have virtually given up on burglary. Their rates for solving burglaries, in and out of towns are both shameful and pathetic. Their inability to police the countryside is frightening, as Tony Martin learnt to his cost.

The Government's early release from prison scheme is absurd, encouraging criminality.

Burglars must go to prison for long terms. And if that means building more prisons, then we must build more prisons.

The threat of guaranteed, long term incarceration would give many burglars reason to pause before setting foot over someone else's doorstep.

And victims may even begin to feel someone is on their side.