One-armed bandit murder

The one-armed bandit murder was a criminal case in the north east of England. The case involved the murder of Angus Sibbet in 1967. The following trial resulted in life sentences for Dennis Stafford and Michael Luvaglio. Both men were released on licence 12 years later.

The case gained the nickname in the press as the "One-armed bandit murder", through the connection to the gambling industry, involving the supply of fruit machines, also known colloquially as one armed bandits, to social clubs.

The case was one of the most notorious killings in the north east, and the first gangland killing sparking fears that organised crime was gaining a foothold in the north east. Luvaglio's Italian surname sparked the headline "The Mafia are coming." The trial was one of the biggest seen in the north east.

Both men have always insisted on their innocence, with Stafford alleging the murder was committed by a Scottish gangster and Luvaglio alleging it was part of a failed attempt by the Krays to enter the Newcastle club scene.

The pair have claimed that the hype surrounding the case and the upsurge in gangland activity caused the police to suppress evidence in order to gain a conviction. Luvaglio says that he was charged as Stafford's companion because, in his initial questioning, he refused to say that Stafford had left him on the night of the murder. Had Luvaglio made this statement, it was likely only Stafford would have been charged and convicted.

Organised crime was on the rise in Britain during the 1960s, with the most notable events being the gangland wars between the Krays and the Richardson Gang.

Sibbet was a money collector for a company run by Luvaglio's brother which supplied working men's clubs with fruit machines. The company supplied the entire north east representing a lucrative business for underworld gangs.

Sibbet, Luvaglio and Stafford were all friends and business associates. Luvaglio was a Londoner with Italian roots who had moved from London to Newcastle to work in his brother's business. Stafford, also from London, was a self-confessed "playboy" and career criminal, whereas Luvaglio was less involved in crime and was not inclined to violence. Luvaglio asserted that Sibbet was a very good friend of his, even his best friend or like a brother.

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