Decades-long justice for hate crime
Brothers sentenced for 1984 gay hate murder after decades-long pursuit of justice
Key Points
Littler was a 45-year-old civil servant and real ale enthusiast who had attended a beer society meeting (the Ponds Branch of The Society for the Preservation of Beer from the Wood) in Carshalton, Surrey, before he was ambushed in an East Finchley alley shortly after midnight on 1 May 1984; he was found with his briefcase, £80 cash and credit cards intact, and Michael Stewart had phoned for an ambulance from a phone box minutes after the attack before hanging up, complicating the initial search.
The breakthrough in Littler’s case came in 2013 when Daniel, the defendants’ younger brother who was 10 years old at the time of the murder, told police that the brothers had confessed to ‘queer bashing,’ prompting renewed inquiries.
In 2022, police reopened the investigation and used covert methods against the Stewarts, including bugging their cars and Michael Stewart’s home; Michael was recorded bragging about the killing, while Anthony spoke far less.
The Old Bailey verdict followed a rapid deliberation of under three hours, with Michael Stewart sentenced to 10 years and Anthony Stewart to 15 years; prosecutors described the killings as a hate crime and part of a longer pattern of anti-LGBT violence.
Two brothers who beat a gay man to death in 1984 have finally been jailed for life — 42 years after the crime. Michael Stewart, now 57, and Anthony Stewart, now 60, were convicted at the Old Bailey in June of murdering Anthony Littler, a 45-year-old civil servant, in an alleyway in East Finchley, north London. They were just 15 and 18 at the time of the killing, Metro reported.
The jury took less than three hours to reach a verdict. Michael was sentenced to 10 years and Anthony to 15 years. Prosecutors called the killing a hate crime — part of a violent spree in which the brothers and their associates targeted men they believed were gay, according to Seaside Radio.
A Night Out Ends in a Deadly Ambush
Anthony Littler spent the evening of 30 April 1984 at a meeting of the Ponds Branch of The Society for the Preservation of Beer from the Wood in Carshalton, Surrey. He was ambushed in an alley shortly after midnight on 1 May 1984. His £80 in cash, credit cards, and briefcase were all left untouched, The Business Times reported.
Minutes after the attack, Michael Stewart called for an ambulance from a nearby phone box — then hung up. That move sent police searching in the wrong area and delayed help reaching Littler. He died from his injuries. The case went unsolved for nearly three decades, according to Hello Rayo.
Younger Brother's 2013 Tip Cracked the Cold Case
The breakthrough came in 2013. Daniel, the brothers' younger brother, was just 10 years old when the murder happened. Decades later, he went to police and told them the brothers had confessed to him that they had been 'queer bashing,' according to My London.
That disclosure prompted investigators to look again at Littler's case. Police confirmed the brothers had been part of a group carrying out a string of attacks on lone men they believed to be gay in 1984. Littler's murder was the deadliest attack in that spree, Seaside Radio reported.
Bugs in Cars and a Bragging Brother Seal the Case
In 2022, police formally reopened the investigation. Officers used covert tactics — bugging the brothers' cars and Michael Stewart's home. The recordings caught Michael bragging about the killing. Anthony spoke far less on tape, The Business Times reported.
Both brothers denied murder when the case went to trial. But the jury was not persuaded. After deliberating for under three hours, jurors found both men guilty. The covert recordings were described as a key part of the evidence against them, according to Hello Rayo.
A 42-Year Wait for Justice Recognised as Hate Crime
Prosecutors told the court the murder was a hate crime driven by homophobia. The brothers had targeted Littler simply because they believed he was gay. My London reported that the attack was described in court as being carried out 'for fun.'
The sentencing closes a case that haunted London's LGBT community for over four decades. Littler's death came during an era of widespread anti-gay violence that often went unpunished. Campaigners welcomed the verdict as long-overdue recognition of that history, Metro reported.
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