Oxford Street victim faced rape charges

LONDON (Reuters) - The man who was stabbed to death in Oxford Street this week was facing charges of raping a 16-year-old girl and chemically burning her afterwards to hide the crime, it was revealed on Wednesday.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Steven Bigby, 22, from Hackney had also been due to stand trial in June over the stabbing of a man in north London in October 2006.

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with Bigby's murder. The suspects, aged 18 and 19, are being questioned at an east London police station.

Bigby was murdered outside a McDonald's restaurant near Oxford Circus during the evening rush hour on Monday.

A post mortem found he died from a single stab wound to the heart.

The Crown Prosecution Service released details of criminal charges against Bigby.

He had been charged with nine others for the rape of a woman in London in January, a CPS spokeswoman said.

He faced a further charge of causing grievous bodily harm by pouring caustic soda on the victim. Media reports said the chemical was used in an attempt to destroy evidence and caused the 16-year-old severe burns.

London mayor Boris Johnson said he would discuss the "terrible scourge" of knife crime in a meeting with Home Secretary Jacqui Smith this week.