JURY members were shown maps of the route Whant claimed he took from the house party in Corelli Street to his nan's house.

Whant told officers he drove over the Town Bridge, over the Old Green Roundabout, into Queenshill, Fields Park Road and Edward VII Avenue avoiding the town centre.

The court heard police examined CCTV footage from across the city and identified a car matching the description of Whant's silver Ford Focus driving in along Prince Street, past Maindee Police Station along Chepstow Road towards the Lliswerry area.

Mr Taylor said: "The prosecution says we can establish where Carl Whant's car was at that time of the morning and it was not driving from Corelli Street to his nan's at all. It was going in a completely different direction along Chepstow Road, west, going towards Broadmead Park."

Experts were able to distinguish Whant's car from other silver Ford Focus brought in for a reconstruction, by the location of the tax disc and an AA sticker, as well as defects with rear number plate lights.

The court heard officers also tracked the return journey, where a silver Ford Focus was caught on CCTV turning into London Street at around 6.18am.

Mr Taylor said: "If the fire started as it did at about 5.30am, what was Carl Whant doing between 5.30am and 6.18am when he turned right into London Street? We don't know what he was doing but what we do know is that the knife that killed Nikitta Grender and destroyed her unborn child has never been found so that would have to be disposed of."