Two brothers have been found guilty of killing a civil servant in a brutal attack in north London 42 years ago.
Michael Stewart, 57, and Anthony Stewart, 60, ambushed Anthony Littler in an alley in East Finchley on May 1 1984, hitting him twice over the head with a blunt weapon to leave him with a “catastrophic” brain injury.
Mr Littler, 45, was found mortally wounded half an hour later lying in a pool of blood, still with his briefcase, £80 cash and credit cards.
The jury at the Old Bailey deliberated for less than three hours to find them guilty of murder on Monday.
Jurors had been told that the brothers, who were just 15 and 18 when they committed the attack, had made a “hobby” of targeting lone men who they believed to be gay.
Despite an appeal on BBC Crimewatch and ITV's Police 5, no meaningful leads were identified and the case remained unsolved for decades, the Old Bailey heard.
However the breakthrough came on the 29th anniversary of Mr Littler’s death, when the defendants’ younger brother Daniel, who was just 10 at the time, came forward to police after a family falling-out.
He told the police that his brothers had boasted about being involved in “queer bashing”, and that Michael had bragged that he had “robbed a bloke and he died”.
Michael had also admitted his guilt to a girlfriend and even showed her where it happened, the court heard.
During their trial, prosecutor John Price KC said that Mr Littler had spent the evening at a pub in Carshalton, before arriving at East Finchley Tube station at around 12.20am and walking down a narrow alleyway, where he was attacked.
He said the assailants lay in wait and “ambushed” Mr Littler, striking him over the head, even though there was no evidence they knew their victim.
Annalieze and James Hainge found Mr Littler around half an hour later, and Mrs Hainge called the emergency services from a phone box while her husband stayed with Mr Littler.
This was the second call to emergency services however - as jurors were told that Michael Stewart had anonymously called for an ambulance from a phone box moments after the attack.
At 12.22am, an unknown person asked for an ambulance and said there was a man hurt outside of East Finchley station, before quickly ringing off.
The operator has noted that the person who made the call “sounded young” and appeared to be “abnormally concerned over the matter.”
Station staff searched the area but found no trace of a bleeding man so the incident was stood down, until the second call came through.
Mr Price said: “The prosecution submits that 42 years later, the evidence now available shows that it was Michael Stewart who had made that first 999 call at 12.22am and then hung up without giving the operator his name or the information she needed.”
Both defendants repeatedly denied any involvement in Mr Littler’s death and chose not to give evidence at trial.
After the guilty 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.
"No verdict can undo the suffering Anthony's family and friends have endured, but I hope today's outcome can bring some measure of closure to those who continue feeling the effects of this loss."
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, of Scotland Yard, said: “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.
“We know Anthony’s murder has continued to cause his family pain all these years later, and we are pleased that they now know who was responsible for his death.”
The brothers were remanded into custody, to be sentenced on July 3.
