Love or hate them they were successful because they hit a nerve which means people agreed with them deep down, at least for the majority.
Meaning no-one likes to harm people but the essence of it all was self preservation was the all important aspect.
If someone tried getting in my house to steal or worse then regardless of the "law" I would do ANYTHING to protect myself and the ones I love, as would any self respecting person.
There are many un-ethical and bad people in this world and if they decide to take an easy route for greed or gain in that manner then they deserve anything that is thrown at them in that course of action.
And yes, Tony Martin is a hero in my opinion. ;D
