I saw stepdad kill my baby brother when I was four ... 50 years ago

Witness ‘broke silence after seeing picture on Facebook’

head hit. Paul was then on the floor with his arms by his side. Because I was really scared I ran upstairs.”

Paul died of catastrophic brain injuries in October 1968. The court heard Dearlove told police he suffered his injuries by falling out of bed. Peter said he confided in wife Leisl Booth when he was 18 and reported the incident to police twice. But Richard Wright QC, prosecuting, said the catalyst for Dearlove coming to trial was Peter seeing the Facebook post by Dearlove’s son in 2015.

Peter told the jury : “Dearlove’s son David posted an image of his dad with Paul and I got angry. I did not want it on there because of what he had done to Paul and what he had done to me.

“My cousin saw it and I explained everything. She spoke to police and got the right person at the right time.” Mr Wright said: “Peter also revealed to his cousin one of the reasons he had not said anything was he was extremely scared of David Dearlove because the violence extended not just to him hurting Paul but regularly assaulting Peter.”

The court heard Dearlove held Peter underwater in the bath many times and would “punch and kick him”. Peter said: