'Psycho Stapleton' remanded to custody for Bidve's killing

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Kiaran Stapleton, who has been charged with the murder of Indian student Anuj Bidve in an unprovoked attack on in Salford on Boxing Day, was today remanded to custody after telling the court his name was 'Psycho Stapleton'.

20-year-old Stapleton appeared before the City of Manchester Magistrates Court while Bidve's friends, local leaders and residents prepared to attend a candle-light vigil in his memory today evening at the spot where he was killed.

Asked to confirm his name and address as per normal procedure in court, the suspect said his name was 'Psycho Stapleton'.

He has been remanded in custody for 24 hours. Stapleton hails from the Ordsall area where the incident occured. Hundreds of people are expected to attend the candle-light vigil initially organised by friends of Bidve on Facebook.

Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz is also expected to attend the event, besides local leaders and residents appalled at the incident. Officers from the Greater Manchester Police last night left for India to meet Bidve's family.

Bidve, from Pune, was studying micro-electronics at Lancaster University in northwest England and had been on a short break in nearby Manchester with eight Indian friends when he was shot.

Police said the students were walking from their hotel in Salford towards the city centre and were in the Ordsall area, Stapleton's home-neighbourhood, when the shooting occurred.

A white male walked across the road and after a brief conversation with the victim produced a gun and shot him at close range, before running off. Bidve died in hospital a short time later.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle said it was 'an extremely unusual, savage and motiveless attack, an absolutely horrific crime'.

Two members of the Manchester police flew to India on Sunday to meet Bidve's family, who had criticised British and Indian authorities saying they found out about the death through social networking site Facebook before being informed by them.

The murder in Britain's third city is being treated by detectives as a 'hate crime' which may have been racially motivated.

Greater Manchester police have offered a £50,000 ($78,000, 60,000 euros) reward for information.