Martin clearly had issues - most of his neighbours were scared of him.
Without this being taken badly, or saying you are in this camp or that, or even whether you are right or wrong we should examine that statement for what is it.
Broken down, as I've also read the wiki on this.
" Most of his neighbours were scared of him"
Scared why ? it does not say, so are we to surmise that he was a crazed gangster type, without thought of anyone elses ? or that he was an angry sob, or that he was surly or what.
Without actually knowing what is meant by that line(or statement if you want to call it that) we can infer everything and nothing. In fact its worse because it infers the negative and in light of his actions and subsequent conviction, it implies possibly something it is not.
I've been classed by some I worked with as misanthropic. But in the definition of that term it makes me out to be someone that hates people, life etc, when the truth of the matter is i pretty much keep my self to me self and because I have Aspergers, im not that sociable. So perhaps in others eyes im curt and unfeeling.
Tony Martin also had autism, so from another's point of view - his neighbours might also see him as misanthropic, surly and unsociable. A farmers life can be one where they work by themselves with themself for company, so maybe sociability is not the usual frame of mind. I think a phrase fitting might be - Does not suffer fools gladly.
Here's a later article in the BBC.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-49355814
and this(sorry DM -take tea and kittens if needed) that seems to bear no relation to the prosecutions chain of events
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ging-burglars-targeted-home-20-years-ago.html