A youth and a 21-year-old man are to stand trial charged with murdering a budding male model and entrepreneur.

James Brindley, 26, was stabbed once in the heart as he walked home in Aldridge, near Walsall, West Midlands, late on June 23, triggering a major police investigation.

Following an emotional public appeal for information by Mr Brindley’s parents, Aaron Kahrod and a 17-year-old boy were arrested on July 12 and charged with murder two days later.

Paying tribute to their son, Mr Brindley’s parents said he had been about to launch a health and fitness business before he was fatally stabbed in Little Aston Road, near The Croft.

Kahrod, of Walsall Road, Aldridge, and the teenager, will face a trial at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday.