UK brothers sentenced to life for 1984 murder of civil servant Anthony Littler after decades-long cold case

Two UK brothers have been sentenced to life in prison for the 1984 murder of a civil servant in north London, more than four decades after the killing remained unsolved.Anthony Stewart, 60, and Michael Stewart, 57, were convicted of murdering 45-year-old Anthony Littler, who was attacked while walking home in East Finchley on May 1, 1984. Following their conviction at the Old Bailey, Anthony Stewart was ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years in prison, while Michael Stewart received a minimum term of 10 years, The Independent reported.Sentencing the pair, Mrs Justice Cutts said: “This was not an impulsive attack. I am quite sure your group was lying in wait for a victim, someone to attack and rob.” She described Littler as “a quiet, kind and gentle man” who had lived “a quiet, decent and honest life.”The court heard that Littler was ambushed and fatally beaten with weapons as he walked home shortly after midnight. Although there was no evidence he was gay, the judge noted the defendants had been targeting men they believed were homosexual at the time, adding: “1984 was a different time and in many respects a different place.”The case remained unsolved for nearly three decades before a breakthrough came when the brothers’ younger sibling contacted police, saying they had confessed to the killing and boasted about attacking men they believed were gay.The investigation was reopened in 2022, when detectives used covert surveillance, including listening devices placed in the brothers’ vehicles and Michael Stewart’s home. Prosecutors said recordings captured Michael discussing the 1984 attack. John Price KC told the court that Michael had a “loose tongue” and had bragged about what he did.Paying tribute to the victim, Littler’s cousin Patricia McClure said, as cited by The Independent: “I am particularly angry these murderers have had 42 years of freedom,” adding that he had been “kind” with “a great sense of humour.” She said the family had been left devastated by his death and that justice had taken far too long.