Two brothers found guilty of murdering man 42 years ago

Two brothers have been found guilty of the murder of a civil servant 42 years ago.

The Stewart brothers, Michael, 57, and Anthony, 60, were convicted by a jury of killing Anthony Littler in East Finchley in 1984.

Mr Littler, 45, was found dead in an alleyway close to East Finchley tube station on 1 May 1984, with no one identified as responsible for his murder at the time.

Michael and Anthony, who were aged 15 and 18 respectively at the time of the murder, were convicted on Monday following a trial at the Old Bailey. They had denied any involvement.

Mr Littler suffered two fractures to the skull, one of which was associated with "catastrophic" brain injury, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Jurors were told that by the spring of 1984 the Stewart siblings and their friends had made a "hobby" of targeting lone men who they believed to be gay.

Senior crown prosecutor Samantha Yelland said Mr Littler had been the victim of a hate crime.

Following a cold case review in 2022, a new investigation began and detectives built their case by speaking to neighbours, former partners, friends and employers of the main suspects.

After the guilty verdicts, Ms Yelland said: "I'm so pleased that we've managed to get justice all these years later for Anthony Littler.

"It's never right that someone dies in these circumstances, in particular in a hate crime. I'm glad that we've been able to get justice for his family."

Despite an appeal on BBC Crimewatch and ITV's Police 5, no meaningful leads were identified and the case remained unsolved for decades, the Old Bailey heard.

The breakthrough came on the 29th anniversary of Mr Littler's death, when the defendants' younger brother Daniel, who was 10 at the time, came forward to police after a family falling-out.

He told officers his older brothers had confessed to the killing and boasted about being involved in "queer bashing", jurors were told.

Years after the killing, Michael Stewart had also admitted his guilt to a girlfriend and even showed her where it happened, the court had heard.

In 2022, police reopened the investigation and deployed covert investigative techniques against the brothers, bugging their cars and Michael's home.

Anthony was said to be a man of few words but Michael proved to have a "loose tongue" and bragged about what he did in 1984, the court heard.

Detective chief inspector Neil John, who led the investigation, said: "Anthony's life was suddenly cut short when he was killed in a brutal attack by two teenagers who we now know had a clear propensity for the most sickening kind of violence.

"They targeted Anthony because he was alone, defenceless and walking down a dark alley in which they knew no-one would see them carrying out their horrendous assault. They lay in wait for someone to cross their path and tragically for Anthony, he became their unsuspecting victim.

"We know Anthony's murder has continued to cause his family pain all these years later, and we are pleased that they now know who was responsible for his death.

"We also want to pay tribute to those who came forward to provide information on the events of that night, as well as giving vital evidence in court. Without them, this verdict would not have been possible.

"The Met will always review any new evidence that is brought to us, no matter the length of time that has passed. We will use all of the resources available to seek out the truth and pursue new opportunities to get justice for all victims who have been unlawfully killed."

(c) Sky News 2026: Two brothers found guilty of murdering man 42 years ago