Brothers Michael Stewart, 57, and Anthony Stewart, 60, have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of the murder of civil servant Anthony Littler, a crime committed 42 years ago in East Finchley, north London. The conviction came after police used covert surveillance, including bugging their cars and Michael's home, to gather evidence for the historic hate crime case.
The Attack
On 1 May 1984, 45-year-old Mr Littler was attacked as he walked home from East Finchley Tube station. He was struck twice on the head with a blunt instrument in a narrow alleyway. Members of the public discovered him lying in a pool of blood half an hour later, still in possession of his briefcase, £80 in cash, and credit cards. He had sustained a catastrophic brain injury and died at the scene.
Michael Stewart, then 15, had anonymously called for an ambulance from a nearby phone box just minutes after the attack, but provided inaccurate information, leading to a failed search. The call handler noted the caller sounded young and well-spoken but was abnormally concerned.
The Investigation
Initial police inquiries, including house-to-house searches and appeals on BBC Crimewatch and ITV's Police 5, yielded no significant leads. The case remained unsolved for nearly three decades. In 2013, on the 29th anniversary of Mr Littler's death, the defendants' younger brother Daniel, who was 10 at the time of the murder, contacted police after a family dispute. He revealed that his older brothers had confessed to the killing and boasted about being involved in queer bashing.
Further evidence emerged when Michael Stewart admitted his guilt to a girlfriend and showed her the location of the attack. In 2022, police reopened the investigation and deployed covert techniques, including bugging the brothers' cars and Michael's home. Anthony Stewart was a man of few words, but Michael proved to have a loose tongue, bragging about his actions in 1984.
Trial and Verdict
During the trial, prosecutor John Price KC described how the brothers ambushed Mr Littler in the alleyway, lying in wait to attack a lone man they suspected to be gay. The jury took less than three hours to return guilty verdicts for murder on Monday. Both defendants, from north London, had denied any involvement and declined to give evidence.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Samantha Yelland said the unusual decision to use covert tactics was necessary due to a lack of other evidence. She expressed satisfaction that justice had been achieved for Mr Littler and his family, emphasizing the hate crime nature of the murder. Detective Chief Inspector Neil John of Scotland Yard stated that the brothers targeted Anthony because he was alone, defenceless, and in a dark alley where no one would witness the assault.
The brothers have been remanded in custody and are scheduled to be sentenced on 3 July.
