Man Charged With Murdering Big Issue Sellers

A man has been charged with the murders of two Big Issue sellers in Birmingham.

The 23-year-old is accused of killing Wayne Lee Busst, 32, and Ian Watson Gladwish, 31, both from Birmingham.

They were killed on Friday just before 6pm.

One of the men was found outside a Sainsbury's store in Martineau Place, and the other slumped yards away near Boots in Union Street.

Both had suffered stab wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.

The force has said hundreds of people may have witnessed the stabbings which took place in a busy shopping street.

Detective Inspector Buck Rogers, who is leading the investigation, said: "We have had a fantastic response from the public so far and their information has proved vital to our investigation."

John Bird, founder of The Big Issue magazine, condemned the double killing as "utterly senseless".

In a statement, Mr Bird said: "Myself and everyone at The Big Issue have been deeply saddened to hear the tragic news that two of our well-liked, Birmingham-based vendors, were stabbed to death in the city centre."