JURY members in the trial of the Newport man accused of raping and murdering teenage mum-to-be Nikitta Grender are expected to retire to consider their verdict today.

Carl Whant, 27, of no fixed address, is on trial at Newport Crown Court charged with murder, child destruction, rape and arson. He denies all the charges.

Continuing his closing statement yesterday, Whant’s counsel, Christopher Kinch, QC, told the court Sarah Voisey, who lived in the flat below Miss Grender, and her sister, Jennifer, heard footsteps in the flat at around 9.30pm when both Miss Grender and Ryan Mayes were out.

Miss Grender’s friend, Luke Morgan, also told police he saw the flat’s living-room light on in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Kinch said DNA was recovered from under Miss Grender’s fingernails that did not match that of Whant or Mr Mayes, indicating a third man could have been in contact with Miss Grender the night she died.

Mr Kinch said the prosecution case is that a car matching Whant’s was seen on CCTV passing Maindee police station, in Chepstow Road, at 5.06am heading in the direction of Broadmead Park.

Jury members previously heard evidence that Whant heard Far Eastern Movement’s G6 on the radio at around 5.16am while he was in the car when he claimed to have been driving to his nan’s house.

Mr Kinch said if that was the case Whant would not have had time to get into the flat, rape Miss Grender, murder her, destroy her unborn child and set fire to the bed and leave the flat, all before Miss Voisey first heard the alarm at 5.30am.

The court heard a towel with 15 small blood stains on it, matching Miss Grender’s DNA profile, was recovered from the bathroom of her flat.

Jury members previously heard Miss Grender washed towels on a daily basis, which Mr Kinch said indicated that she bled at some point that day.

Mr Kinch also noted the stab wound to Miss Grender’s neck severed the carotid artery and there would have been a significant amount of blood, but only small blood stains were found on Whant’s jacket and shirt.

Starting his summing up yesterday, Mr Justice John Griffith Williams told the jury to put aside any sympathy or prejudice and focus on the evidence of the case in determining their verdict.