Man remanded over Big Issue murders

A MAN has appeared in court charged with murdering two Big Issue sellers who were stabbed in a busy Birmingham city street.

John Ward, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody until Wednesday after making a two-minute appearance before Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The 23-year-old was charged with the murders of Wayne Lee Busst and Ian Watson-Gladwish by West Midlands Police on Sunday.

The Big Issue, which helps homeless people earn income by employing them to sell its magazines on the street, said the victims, both aged in their 30s, were vendors of the publication.

Editor John Bird had said he was "struggling to make any sense" of the attack.

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