THE murder trial of a gang of five men accused of killing a father for his Gucci bag is being adjourned until next week.

Lewis Aquilina, Ethan Strickland, Elliot Fiteni, Kyle Raisis and Joseph Jeremy allegedly murdered Ryan O’Connor in the Alway area of Newport last summer.

The defendants, all from Cardiff, also face charges of the manslaughter and robbery of the 26-year-old on the night of Thursday, June 10, 2021.

South Wales Argus:

Ryan O'Connor

The trial at Newport Crown Court is in its fourth week.

Here’s what we know so far:

Three suspects have criminal records

Jurors were told that three of the defendants have criminal records.

Jeremy, 18, was convicted of wounding and possession of a knife after a schoolboy was attacked in Cardiff on November 25, 2020.

The defendant was 16 at the time of the assault which took place in the Canton area of the Welsh capital.

Fiteni, 19, has previous convictions for robbery, assault and possession of a knife in public.

The robbery occurred when the defendant was 15 and the separate assault conviction involved an attack on an ex-girlfriend.

Raisis, 18, has previous convictions for the possession of knives.

These involve various offences which include him having a samurai sword and a meat cleaver.

Full details of the trio’s criminal records can be found here: https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19877013.newport-gucci-bag-murder-trial-hears-knife-crime-convictions/

Aquilina, 20, and Strickland, 19, have no previous convictions.

The stolen car

The defendants were in a stolen blue Ford Fiesta shortly before being arrested on suspicion of murder around an hour after the alleged killing of Mr O’Connor.

The prosecution claim the five had travelled in the car from their home city of Cardiff to Newport in order to commit crime.

James Wilson, prosecuting, told the jury that the three-door Fiesta ST was stolen from Manor Way, Risca, sometime after 7.30pm on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.

The car had false plates when it crashed in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff and the defendants fled from the vehicle.

‘I’ve chopped his finger off’

In interview following his arrest, Strickland told murder police that Aquilina said he had “chopped" Mr O’Connor's finger off.

He claimed Aquilina and Jeremy got out of the Fiesta in Alway and ran after the alleged victim.

Strickland told detectives: “They thought he was a drug dealer and they chased him.

“They just said they were going to rob him.”

Aquilina and Joseph got back in the car, Strickland said and he added: “Lewis said he chopped his finger off.”

How long will the trial be delayed?

The judge, Mr Justice Saini, told jurors the case is likely to be adjourned for seven days until Thursday, February 3 when they are due to return to court.

He told them: “I appreciate that this causes a huge inconvenience to you and I’m afraid it is infuriating but it does happen in trials.

“I hoping that once the matter we have to deal with in the next week has been completed, we will smoothly be able to move into the defendants’ evidence and proceed towards the conclusion of the case.

“I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you at this stage but again I apologise.

“There have been huge delays so far and there’s going to be a further delay.”

Aquilina, of Canton Court, Riverside; Strickland, of Clos Briallen, Caerau; Fiteni, of no fixed abode; Raisis, of Bartley Wilson Way, Canton, and Jeremy, of no fixed abode, deny all the charges against them.

The case continues.