'Incomprehensible' - Hartlepool parents' trauma at losing two sons to violence in five years

Hartlepool man Anthony Littlewood, 39, died in hospital on June 15 of last year after receiving a “fatal blow” from Jamie Smith in Hart Lane on June 8.

Anthony's older brother, John Littlewood, was just 36 when he was murdered while sleeping in his own home in Third Street, Blackhall Colliery, in a “ferocious, brutal and sustained attack” in July 2019.

Marty Bates, 31, of Tenth Street, Blackhall Colliery, was jailed for a minimum of 24 years after eventually admitting the death.

Teesside Crown Court heard in 2021 that Bates used a hammer or something similar to inflict serious head injuries.

Smith, 24, of Mereston Close, Hartlepool, is now beginning five years and three months behind bars after admitting Anthony’s manslaughter following a “small altercation”.

In a victim statement read out at court while Smith was sentenced, the brothers’ mother, Pamela Llewellyn, said the death of John “really affected” Anthony as the pair were “really close”.

Her statement about Anthony continued: “It makes me sick to my stomach. He was defenceless when he was attacked and backed away.”

Their father, John, added: “Losing one son is something no father should have to endure, but to lose a second is incomprehensible.”

Anthony’s widow, Katrina Littlewood, reminisced about the time the pair spent together during their five years of marriage.

She said: “We were happy and content in our life, making plans for the following years to enjoy more time together and make happy memories with our family and friends.”

Police Staff Investigator Andrew Chambers, from Cleveland Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET), said after the sentence: “Anthony Littlewood was killed in a senseless act of violence carried out by Jamie Smith.

"One punch cost Anthony his life. Something that his family will live with forever.

“Whilst this sentence won’t bring Anthony back, we hope that it does provide some form of comfort to his family, that justice has been done and Jamie Smith has had his freedom taken away as a result of his actions.

“Let this sentence send a message that violence has no place in our communities.”