ONE of the men accused of murdering Ryan O’Connor has been accused of telling “a pack of lies”.

Lewis Aquilina gave evidence on Friday, recounting his version of events from the evening of June 10, 2021.

Aquilina – along with Ethan Strickland, Elliott Fiteni, Kyle Raisis and Joseph Jeremy – are on trial accused of the murder of Mr O’Connor.

He told the jury that co-defendant Joseph Jeremy, who was aged 17 at the time, was “wild and out of control” and attacked Mr O’Connor with a knife.

Jeremy’s defence counsel, Jonathan Elystan Rees, cross-examined Aquilina at Newport Crown Court on Monday.

“On Friday last week you told this jury a pack of lies,” Mr Elystan Rees said.

“No I did not,” says Aquilina.

“You are not just a simple car thief, but a violent thug,” said Mr Elystan Rees.

Mr Elystan Rees accused Aquilina of “making up a shameless story that you tried to save Ryan O'Connor, when in fact I put to you that you and your partner Elliott Fiteni attacked, robbed and left Ryan O'Connor to bleed to death in the street.”

Aquilina denied this.

Mr Elystan Rees asked Aquilina about his police interview on June 12, 2021.

When officers asked Aquilina about the night in question, the defendant answered no comment to all questions.

“If it was true, your account you gave on Friday, you would’ve been shouting that from the rooftops to the police, would you not?” he said.

“I wanted to speak the truth but my solicitor said to go no comment,” said Aquilina.

In a prepared statement given to police in his interview, Aquilina said: “The bloodstained knife cannot be forensically linked to me.”

In court, Aquilina said he didn’t touch the knife at any point.

When asked why he didn’t tell police that, Aquilina said he told his solicitor that, and the statement was his solicitor’s words.

The judge, Mr Justice Saini, had to adjourn the proceedings before midday after a jury member became unwell.

Aquilina, 20, of Canton Court, Riverside; Jeremy, 18, of no fixed abode; Strickland, 19, of Clos Briallen, Caerau; Fiteni, 19, of no fixed abode, and Kyle Raisis, 18, of Bartley Wilson Way, Canton, deny murder, manslaughter and robbery.

The case continues.