A MAN who was allegedly beaten and set on fire died of a combination of his injuries, a pathologist told a court yesterday.

Ramunas Raulinautis, 34, was found outside the Gateway Express Hotel in Chepstow Road, Newport, on March 9 last year and died three days later at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital.

Kamil Semrau, 28, of Chepstow Road, Newport, Pawel Lysonik, 22, of Capel Crescent, Newport, Lukas Kalkowski, 30, of Laundry Road, Pontypridd, and Stanislaw Gliszczynski, 31, of no fixed address, are on trial at Cardiff Crown Court accused of murdering Mr Raulinautis and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Lysonik, Kalkowski and Gliszczynski are also charged with attempting to murder Stanislaw Galeza and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent in an incident at Mr Galeza’s home in Livingstone Place, Newport, on March 7 last year.

They are also charged with arson with intent to endanger life and arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Gliszczynski’s brother, Andrzej Gliszczynski, 27, of Longtown Grove, Newport, is charged with assisting offenders.

They all deny all the charges.

Pathologist Dr Richard Jones said in his opinion Mr Raulinautis’ death was caused by a combination of severe burns and traumatic small bowel perforation with blunt-force head and trunk injuries. Dr Jones said the burns sustained by Mr Raulinautis were severe in terms of their extent and depth.

He said a burns specialist estimated the burns covered between 60 and 70 per cent of Mr Raulinautis’ body.

Dr Jones said Mr Raulinautis had multiple blunt-force injuries to his head and face which were in the form of bruising – some of which were patterned.

He said this patterning means the injury was caused by an impact from or against something with a patterned surface, such as the soles of shoes.

Dr Jones said he also found evidence of brain swelling, and said the brain was injured both by the effects of trauma and by the effects of a poor blood supply to the brain.

The pathologist told the jury that Mr Raulinautis sustained rib fractures which can be caused by kicks, stamps or heavy blows, for example, from punches, an object or implement or from a heavy fall onto a projected surface.

Proceeding.