ONE of the five men accused of murdering Newport dad Ryan O’Connor has pointed the finger squarely at one of his co-defendants.

Elliott Fiteni was cross-examined on Tuesday by Jonathan Elystan Rees, representing co-defendant Joseph Jeremy.

Mr Rees put to Fiteni that he did not see his client stab Mr O’Connor, and did not know what happened to him.

“All I know is what Joseph Jeremy told me which was he yinged (stabbed) him,” said Fiteni.

“Joseph told me he yinged him and he's holding a knife with blood on it. It's quite clear what happened.”

“In interview you were very keen to say 'who will have the kid's blood on them',” said Mr Rees. “You now know the only person with Ryan O'Connor's blood on them was Lewis Aquilina.

“Why are you now so keen to say Joseph Jeremy murdered Ryan O'Connor?”

“Because all I know is Joseph Jeremy said he yinged him,” said Fiteni.

“Are you protecting Lewis Aquilina?” asked Mr Rees.

“No,” said Fiteni. “I think everyone in this room knows who murdered him. I wouldn't lie to protect anyone on a murder charge.”

“By not telling the police you and he would go out stealing cars together you were protecting him,” said Mr Rees.

“No,” said Fiteni. “I was protecting me. I did not think about him.”

Mr Rees asked if Fiteni had agreed a story with Aquilina when in the same cell as him and Strickland when on the same prison wing.

Fiteni said he didn't talk about the case with them.

He was asked if he had spoken to Strickland about being “a grass”, to which he replied “No, why would I?”

"Because he said it was you and Lewis who identified Ryan O'Connor as a drug dealer," said Mr Rees.

Earlier in the day, Mr Rees asked if Fiteni had asked Strickland to lie for him about him getting out of the car at the time of Mr O’Connor’s death.

“You have set out to blame Joseph Jeremy for your own responsibility in the death of Ryan O'Connor,” Mr Rees put to Fiteni.

“You lied about the car in your interview. You lied about your phone in your interview. You are habitually a liar.”

“No, I lied to the police but I did not lie to the jury,” said Fiteni.

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 trial continues at Newport Crown Court before Judge Mr Justice Saini.