Five on trial over murder and robbery of 26-year-old Newport man, Ryan O'Connor

The trial of four men and a teenager who are accused of murdering a man and robbing him of his Gucci bag, has begun in Newport.

Ryan O’Connor, 26, from Alway in Newport, was found unconscious and unresponsive in Balfe Road just after 9pm on Thursday June 10 2021.

The father-of-one, whose nickname was “Apple”, was later pronounced dead and a murder investigation was launched by the police.

Lewis Aquilina, 20, of Riverside, Cardiff, Elliott Fiteni, 20, of no fixed abode, Kyle Rasis, 18, of Canton, Cardiff, Ethan Strickland, 19, of Caerau, Cardiff, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are accused of killing Mr O’Connor.

At Newport Crown Court on January 4 2022, all five denied committing murder, manslaughter and the robbery of the designer bag - the value of which is unknown.

During the hearing the accused each spoke only to confirm their name.

A jury of five women and seven men were selected and they will return on January 5 to hear the opening of the prosecution case.

Witnesses may not be called until next week due to ongoing discussions over how the trial will be conducted while abiding to current coronavirus restrictions in Wales, which require each person in a courtroom to be seated two metres apart.

The trial continues and is expected to last six to eight weeks.