AWOMAN who accused a man of setting fire to a bed while a Newport man lay on it blamed the incident on someone else in her initial police statement, a jury heard yesterday.

Marlgorzata Radziwon was giving evidence at the trial of Pawel Lysonik, 22, of Capel Crescent, Newport, Lukas Kalkowski, 30, of Laundry Road, Pontypridd, and Stanislaw Gliszczynski, 31, of no fixed address.

All three, standing trial at Cardiff Crown Court, are charged with attempting to murder StanislawGaleza and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent in an incident at Mr Galeza’s home in Livingstone Place, Newport, on March 7 last year.

They are also charged with arson with intent to endanger life and arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

The three are also standing trial alongside Kamil Semrau, 28, of Chepstow Road, Newport, charged with the murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent of Ramunas Raulinautis, 34, of Newport.

Mr Raulinautis was found fatally injured outside the Gateway Express Hotel, Chepstow Road, Newport, on March 9 last year. He died at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital on March 12.

Stanislaw Gliszczynski’s brother, Andrzej Gliszczynski, 27, of Longtown Grove, Newport, is charged with assisting offenders.

All the defendants deny all of the charges.

The court had previously heard Ms Radziwon, who gave evidence through a Polish interpreter, state Lysonik had thrown a portable heater at Mr Galeza before trying to strangle him with a computer cable and setting fire to the mattress upon which he lay.

But when being cross-examined by Lysonik’s barrister, Alun Jenkins, QC, Mr Jenkins referred to her first police statement made just after the incident.

In it she stated Kalkowski and Stanislaw Gliszczynski had beaten Mr Galeza and wrapped a cable round his neck and that Kalkowski set fire to the mattress.

Proceeding.