The undercover police sting that solved a 1984 murder and sent two brothers to jail

Image source, Family photo Image caption, Anthony Littler was beaten to death in an alleyway in north London in May 1984 - his killers walked free for more than 40 years By Guy Lynn London investigations Published 10 July 2026, 12:26 BST Updated 59 minutes ago Just after midnight on 1 May 1984, civil servant Anthony Littler stepped off a train at East Finchley station and set off down a dark alleyway towards home. Two minutes later, the 45-year-old lay dying on the ground. Anthony - a "gentle giant" to his friends, who lived alone and loved real ale - had been struck twice over the head. Nothing was stolen. No eyewitnesses, no forensics, no clear motive. For 42 years, nobody was brought to justice. On Friday, that changed. Michael Stewart, 57, and Anthony Stewart, 60, were sentenced at the Old Bailey to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years and 15 years respectively for his murder. The brothers were aged 15 and 18 at the time of the attack. Although there was no evidence Anthony Littler was gay, Mrs Justice Cutts noted that the Stewarts had targeted gay men to rob. "1984 was a different time and in many respects a different place," she said. In a televised sentencing, the senior judge told the defendants: "I am quite sure your group was lying in wait for a victim. You targeted that decent, honest individual and took his life." Building a case Cold cases are often solved by science: DNA, fingerprints, old exhibits tested with new techniques. This one was different. Detectives turned to a daring undercover operation - bugging Michael Stewart's home and car, placing listening devices on his brother's car, and sending two covert officers into Michael's life. They were waiting for him to do what, over the years, he had repeatedly done: talk. Image source, Metropolitan Police Image caption, For 42 years, brothers Michael (left) and Anthony Stewart got away with murder Warning - Some readers may find the content and discriminatory language in this report distressing Anthony Littler, a quiet man of simple routines, was 6ft 4ins, worked in the civil service and lived in a flat in East Finchley, north London. He was devoted to his mother, and often travelled back to St Helens in Merseyside, where he was born and grew up, to visit her. Anthony's great passion was real ale. On the last evening of his life he had crossed London for a meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood at a pub in Carshalton, where he shared five or six pints of bitter with friends. They said goodbye at closing time. Anthony travelled back across London, arrived at East Finchley, and turned into the narrow footpath beside the railway line - a shortcut towards home. Within minutes, he had been attacked with such violence that he never regained consciousness. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Watch: Killer arrested 40 years after Anthony Littler murder "He was a bit like a big