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Big Issue stabbings: Homeless man detained for life | Big Issue stabbings: Homeless man detained for life |
(34 minutes later) | |
A homeless man who admitted killing two Big Issue sellers in a knife attack in Birmingham has been detained for life. | A homeless man who admitted killing two Big Issue sellers in a knife attack in Birmingham has been detained for life. |
Ian Watson-Gladwish, 31, and Wayne Busst, 32, who were also homeless, were stabbed in Union Street on 11 January. | |
John Ward, 23, denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was given a minimum tariff of 12 years. | |
Ward, 23, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, appeared via video link at Birmingham Crown Court. | |
The Big Issue founder John Bird said following the deaths, there were a number of people at the magazine organisation who said they "can't leave people in this situation". | The Big Issue founder John Bird said following the deaths, there were a number of people at the magazine organisation who said they "can't leave people in this situation". |
Both men were stabbed to death near their pitches. | Both men were stabbed to death near their pitches. |
Fled to cinema | Fled to cinema |
West Midlands Police said one of the men was stabbed outside Sainsbury's in Union Street, while the other was found slumped nearby outside a side entrance to Boots. | |
Peter Grieves-Smith, prosecuting, said Ward travelled from London to Birmingham, bought a knife, alcohol and a bag of heroin - which he smoked - and then stood with the two victims as they sold copies of the magazine. | |
Ward, of no fixed address, struck out at the two men, with one eyewitness describing seeing him afterwards looking "angry and arrogant". | |
The knife was thrown away in an alleyway and Ward walked to a nearby Odeon cinema where he sat and wiped blood from his face and hands with napkins until the police arrived to arrest him. | |
After he was arrested Ward provided police with a written statement that said: "John Ward admits stabbing two men in Birmingham city centre - he intended to hurt them but not to kill them." | |
Ward met the pair - fellow drug-users - for the first time after arriving in the city. | |
Mr Grieves-Smith said psychiatric experts for both the prosecution and defence had since assessed Ward as a paranoid schizophrenic and agreed that this serious mental health disorder was at the root of his attacks. | |
Ward told Dr Panchu Xavier, forensic psychologist at Ashworth Hospital, "he didn't want to do anything but "the voices wanted me to kill everyone"'. |