Brothers found guilty of murdering civil servant in 1984 homophobic attack

Two brothers have been convicted of murdering a man in a homophobic attack more than four decades after he was killed.

Michael Stewart, 57, and Anthony Stewart, 60, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Anthony Littler, a 45-year-old civil servant who was attacked while walking home in East Finchley in the early hours of 1 May 1984. They were 15 and 18 at the time.

Littler had arrived at East Finchley Underground station shortly after midnight before making his way through a narrow alley known as The Causeway. Prosecutors said he was ambushed moments later and struck twice on the head with a blunt weapon. He suffered two skull fractures, including one that caused a catastrophic brain injury.

What happened after Anthony Littler was attacked?

Although he had been carrying his briefcase, around £80 in cash and his credit cards, none of his belongings were taken.

Just minutes after the attack, someone made a brief 999 call from a nearby phone box, telling the operator: “I can’t stop, just get an ambulance to East Finchley station, there’s a man hurt outside the station.”

The caller hung up before giving any further details. After station staff searched the area without finding anyone injured, the ambulance response was cancelled. Around 30 minutes later, Anthony Littler was discovered lying in the alley by a couple walking home from the station. He died at the scene.

The case remained unsolved for decades despite national appeals on BBC Crimewatch and ITV‘s Police 5. Detectives reopened the investigation in 2022 after a cold case review, relying on witness testimony, historical evidence and covert surveillance after concluding there was no forensic evidence, CCTV footage or phone data available from the original investigation.

The evidence that solved Anthony Littler’s murder

Jurors heard that, by the spring of 1984, the Stewart brothers and their friends had been targeting men they believed to be gay. The prosecution argued that Littler was selected because he was alone and that hostility towards his perceived sexuality was a motivating factor in the attack.

A major breakthrough came when the brothers’s younger sibling told police that both men had admitted responsibility for the killing over the years and had spoken about taking part in “queer bashing”. Investigators also gathered further evidence through covert recordings after reopening the case.

Following the verdicts, senior crown prosecutor Samantha 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.”

“They targeted Anthony because he was alone, defenceless and walking down a dark alley” – detective chief inspector Neil John

Detective chief inspector Neil John added: “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.”

The brothers denied murdering Littler and did not give evidence during the trial. They were remanded into custody ahead of sentencing.