Widow, 89, of ‘fifth Beatle’ foils raiders at her home

THE widow of ‘fifth Beatle’ George Martin locked herself in the bathroom in terror as masked burglars forced their way into her home.

Judy Martin, 89, dialled 999 after discovering two intruders at her house in an Oxfordshire village in England. Officers arrived with sirens blaring within minutes, forcing the pair to flee empty-handed.

Despite support from a police helicopter with a thermal imaging camera, the suspects escaped. One line of inquiry is that the intruders thought priceless Beatles memorabilia was in the house.

Mrs Martin has lived in the property for more than 40 years. Since the death of music producer George at the age of 90 two years ago, she has been closely supported by family and friends.

The burglary took place as Mrs Martin was watching TV on her own late at night. She heard the sound of breaking glass and saw two masked men smashing their way into her conservatory. She made her way upstairs and locked herself in the bathroom, where she dialled 999.

Mrs Martin, once a secretary at Abbey Road music studios, married George four years after he left his first wife in 1962 – the year he signed The Beatles. Her husband went on to enjoy a remarkable career in which he produced more than 700 records and worked with some of the world’s greatest talents.

His death in 2016 triggered a furious family row over his financial legacy, which was estimated at far more than the £1 million he left in his will.

His eldest daughter accused him of hiding ‘vast wealth’ in offshore accounts so it could be passed on to his ‘favoured’ children from his second marriage.