TWO teenagers are both innocent of murdering a father for his Gucci bag and have never stabbed anyone, a jury was told.

The barristers representing Kyle Raisis and Ethan Strickland made the claims in favour of their clients who are accused of killing Ryan O’Connor.

The 26-year-old Newport dad died after he suffered multiple stab wounds in the Alway area of the city last summer.

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Five Cardiff men: Raisis, 18, of Bartley Wilson Way, Canton; Strickland, 19, of Clos Briallen, Caerau; Joseph Jeremy, 18, of no fixed abode; Elliott Fiteni, 19, of no fixed abode, and Lewis Aquilina, 20, of Canton Court, Riverside, are on trial for his murder.

They also deny the manslaughter and robbery of Mr O’Connor at the Aberthaw Road roundabout on the evening of Thursday, June 10, 2021.

South Wales Argus:

Kyle Raisis

Michael Brady QC, prosecuting, told Newport Crown Court the defendants “hunted down and killed” him after travelling to the city in a stolen Ford Fiesta ST.

In his closing speech to the jury, Nic Lobbenberg QC, representing Raisis, said: “He has never stabbed anyone.

This is a case about yinging, cheffing, chopping

“Kyle Raisis doesn’t get out of the car at that roundabout. He doesn’t drive the car. He sits in the back.”

Mr Lobbenberg asked jurors to consider the fact that his client was wearing a T-shirt and shorts on the evening of Mr O’Connor’s death.

South Wales Argus:

Ethan Strickland

He told them: “These are not the clothes to go robbing in.

“He’s dressed for summer. He’s not dressed for mayhem.”

READ MORE: Lewis Aquilina ‘not guilty of murdering Ryan O’Connor’

Mr Lobbenberg added: “This is a case about yinging, cheffing, chopping.

“Kyle Raisis doesn’t do that. He does not participate in the attack.

“He’s sitting in the back of the car doing nothing.

South Wales Argus:

Ryan O'Connor

“There’s no beef, no link. There’s no record. Where’s the desire?

“He doesn’t use knives to hurt anyone. He’s just tagging along in the ST.”

David Elias QC, representing Strickland, in his closing speech to the jury, said: “Ethan Strickland is different to many in the dock and different considerations apply.

READ MORE: Ryan O'Connor ‘hunted down and killed on a road trip to commit crime’

“He’s got no previous convictions or cautions.

“There’s no evidence he has ever used a knife to threaten or harm anyone.”

Mr Elias said his client had “the right to remain silent” following his decision not to give evidence in his defence or be cross-examined.

“It is not for Ethan Strickland to prove anything,” he told jurors.

“It is for the prosecution to prove his guilt.

“He is perfectly entitled to, as he has done, not to give evidence – the right to remain silent.”

Mr Elias added: “Ethan Strickland never showed his knife in that car and he never got out.

“Did he intend that Ryan O’Connor suffer really serious harm? We are miles away from that.”

The judge, Mr Justice Saini, has begun to sum up the case and said he intends to finish doing so tomorrow.

He has told the jury he will not send them out to begin their deliberations until Monday.

Proceeding.