ONE of the men accused of murdering Ryan O’Connor had taken a knife round to a house where his ex-partner was after they split up, and was involved in a knifepoint robbery, a jury has heard.

Elliott Fiteni – one of five men from Cardiff on trial for the murder of Ryan O’Connor – was cross-examined this morning by Jonathan Elystan Rees, representing co-defendant Joseph Jeremy.

Mr Rees told the court that Fiteni had a conviction for carrying a knife, having taken a kitchen knife to a house where his ex-girlfriend was after the pair had broken up. 

"I know I'm not the kind of person to stab someone with a knife," Fiteni said.

"You assaulted your ex-girlfriend and her friend. You didn't use the knife but you had it there. You took it as a weapon didn't you?" said Mr Rees.

"No. A knife is a weapon but I didn't intend to use it," said Fiteni.

Mr Rees told the court of a phone conversation Fiteni had with his new partner about the incident, where he said he took the knife to the house "for the boys" that were supposedly in the house. No boys were in the house, Mr Rees said.

The court heard that Fiteni was involved in a knifepoint robbery aged 15 - having been the driver for a 19-year-old man who had a knife and robbed someone.

"I went to prison when I was 15 and I learnt my lesson and tried to avoid being in that situation again," Fiteni said. 

"I wouldn't want to be involved in a street robbery for a pathetic little bag. That's six years in prison. When I steal cars that's months and I make much more."

The jury heard that Fiteni told a friend who had seen him and Lewis Aquilina getting out of a stolen car - and recorded it - to tell the police she didn't know anything about the car.

"Did you tell Ethan Strickland to lie about you getting out of the car?" Mr Rees asked, about Mr O’Connor’s death.

"No I did not."

"You told [his friend] to lie about seeing you get out of a stolen car," said Mr Rees.

"This is completely different. This is a murder."

"Did you tell Ethan Strickland to lie about you getting out of the car?" Mr Rees asked again.

"No," replied Fiteni. "Even if I did, do you think that guy is going to risk his life for me when I had never met him before? Is he going to risk a life sentence to lie for me instead of his friend?"

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

The case at Newport Crown Court continues before Judge Mr Justice Saini.