LONDON, Aug 24 — UK police on Tuesday charged a 21-year-old man with the murder of the cousin of boxing world champion Tyson Fury.

Liam O’Prey, a homeless man, will appear at the Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court in northwest England on Wednesday, charged with the murder of Rico Burton, 31, Greater Manchester Police said.

Burton was stabbed to death outside a bar in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of Sunday.

Fury called on the British government to clamp down harder on knife crime after the attack, which police described as "senseless” and "unplanned”.

Police said emergency services were called to a disturbance at around 3am (0200 GMT) on Sunday.

Officers arrived at the scene to find a 17-year-old man and a 31-year-old man with stab wounds receiving first aid from members of the public before police and paramedics took over.

Both men were taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary, where the 31-year-old man died of his injuries, while the 17-year-old remains in a serious but non-life- threatening condition.

Another man, aged 20, was also arrested on suspicion of murder and has been released on bail.

Knife-enabled crime recorded by the police saw a 10 per cent increase to 49,027 offences in the year ending March 2022, from 44,642 in the year ending March 2021. — AFP