A man is to be charged with the murder of a 16-year-old girl who was stabbed on a bus in Birmingham as she made her way to school.
West Midlands Police said it has been given authority by the Crown Prosecution Service to charge 22-year-old Phillip Simelane with killing Christina Edkins.
Meanwhile, the force also issued a statement in which Christina's parents said their world had been torn apart by the loss of their "beautiful princess".
Simelane, from Walsall, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act following the stabbing in Birmingham on Thursday but will now be charged with murder in due course, a police spokesman said.
Making their first public comment about their daughter's death, Christina's parents Jason and Kathleen described her as a "bubbly, beautiful and intelligent" teenager.
In their statement, Mr and Mrs Edkins said: "We are heartbroken by the loss of our beautiful princess, Christina, and it's hard to find words to describe the pain we're all feeling.
"Her family and friends will remember her as an amazing individual with her whole life ahead of her - a life that was tragically cut short on that Thursday morning. Our lives will never be the same again.
“We’d bought Christina's prom dress the week before and recall the day she tried it on…she looked like a princess. She was our Princess. Christina was studying extremely hard for her exams and weighing-up which college to attend.
“In many ways she was like most 16-year-olds - worried about her appearance, what fake tan to wear, how her hair and nails looked and about ‘hot boys’ as Christina would call them.
“We would like to thank everyone for their kind words, flowers, teddies, balloons and candles… the support has been fantastic and shows what good, kind people there are in this world.
"We’d like to thank West Bromwich Albion for their half time tribute at the weekend and to the fans for their heartfelt applause which was very emotional.
“We’re relieved to hear a man will soon be charged and, hopefully, we can soon get justice for Christina.
“We’ve heard talk of protests in Christina’s name, clamouring for swift justice. But as a family we’d urge people to remain calm, be patient and let the legal process take its course.”
Christina, who lived in Ladywood near the city centre but was a pupil at Leasowes High School in Halesowen, died from a single stab wound to the chest as she sat on the No.9 bus on Hagley Road.
An inquest into Christina's death will be opened and adjourned at Birmingham Coroner's Court on Thursday.
