THE four men charged with murder after a stabbing attack in east Oxford have appeared in court.

At around 3pm, Michael Yemane, 20, of South Bridge Row, Oxford, Welid Solomon, 25, of Field Avenue, Oxford, Sasan Mohammed Khalid, 19, of no fixed abode, and Safeen Abdullah Karimi, 27, of Hode Garth, Thame were brought in front of Judge Ian Pringle for a hearing.

It comes as the mother of Luciano Dos Santos released an emotional tribute to her son.

A packed public gallery watched on as the four, dressed in grey prison tracksuits, spoke only to confirm their names.

None applied for bail and were all remanded in custody.

They will next appear for a plea hearing and trial preparation on Friday, April 5.

A provisional date for any trial has been set for Monday, September, 2 and the court expects it could last between four and six weeks.

Representing Khalid, defence barrister Alistair Grainger said his client would require Kurdish translation at the next hearing.

Karimi's representative Julian Lynch said he would also require Kurdish translation.

Yemane will require translation from a language spoken in Eritrea, according to his barrister Lyall Thompson.