Oxford St murder suspect in custody

Updated 15.45 Thu May 15 2008
Keywords: Oxford Street, Steven Bigby, Anthony Costa

A teenager has been remanded in custody charged with murdering a man on London's most famous shopping street.

Anthony Costa, 18, of Walthamstow, east London, is accused of stabbing 22-year-old Steven Bigby in broad daylight outside a branch of McDonald's on Oxford Street.

Police confirmed Mr Bigby was on bail awaiting trial over the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in Tottenham, north London, in January

Costa was charged with murder on Wednesday night and appeared at Waltham Forest Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

He was remanded in custody and is due to appear for a plea and case management hearing at the Old Bailey in central London on August 20.

A 19-year old man arrested in connection with the attack was released on police bail on Wednesday pending further inquiries.

Mr Bigby, from Hackney, east London, was knifed near Oxford Circus on Monday afternoon.

A post-mortem examination revealed he died of a single stab wound to the heart.

Police confirmed Mr Bigby was on bail awaiting trial over the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in Tottenham, north London, in January.

He was one of a group of ten men charged over the attack, in which the girl allegedly had caustic soda poured over her to destroy DNA evidence.

Mr Bigby was also due to stand trial in June over a fight at a snooker club in Tottenham in October 2006, after which a knife was found.

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