UK Brothers Convicted in 42-Year-Old Murder Case

A jury at London's Old Bailey has found two brothers guilty of the 1984 murder of civil servant Anthony Littler, according to Sky News.

Michael Stewart, 57, and his brother Anthony, 60, were 15 and 18 years old at the time of the attack in May 1984. Prosecutors said the killing was a premeditated hate crime. The brothers allegedly targeted men they believed to be gay, ambushing them in dark alleys. Littler, 45, died after suffering fatal skull fractures.

The case remained unsolved for decades despite repeated public appeals. A breakthrough came in 2013 when their younger brother, Daniel Stewart, contacted police following a family dispute. He told investigators that his brothers had admitted to the killing. Michael Stewart later also confessed to the crime to his girlfriend.

The Metropolitan Police reopened the investigation in 2022. Detectives used covert investigative techniques, including surveillance devices in vehicles and at Michael Stewart's home, where police said he boasted about the murder.

Chief Crown Prosecutor Samantha Yelland said the convictions finally brought justice to Littler's family after more than four decades. Both brothers denied the charges throughout the trial.

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