Lewis Aquilina, 20, of Canton Court, Riverside, Cardiff, Ethan Strickland, 19, of Clos Briallen, Caerau, Cardiff, Elliot Fiteni, 19, of no fixed abode, Kyle Raisis, 18, of Bartley Wilson Way, Canton, Cardiff and Joseph Jeremy, 17, of no fixed abode, Caerphilly, deny killing him.

Prosecution witness Lewis Pritchard told of how he saw Mr O’Connor, who was commonly known by his nickname Apple, being attacked in the Alway area.

He said he was cycling in the Aberthaw Road area when he saw masked men get out of a Ford Fiesta ST and confront the alleged victim.

READ MORE: ‘Gang laughed as stabbed dad lay dying following Gucci bag robbery’

The video interview Mr Pritchard gave to police the day after 26-year-old Mr O’Connor died was played to jurors.

Tributes left at the scene where Ryan O’Connor was allegedly murdered. Picture: Athena Picture Agency

The witness told detectives: “The driver flung his door open and he said, ‘Oi! Come here.’

“He’s holding a machete. He was waving it around. It was silver. Shiny.

He tried to get away before he collapsed

“He had his hood up and his face was covered.

“Apple ran off and the driver chased him.”

Ryan O’Connor was allegedly murdered for his Gucci bag. Picture: Athena Picture Agency

Mr Pritchard said he saw Mr O’Connor fall before a passenger from the Fiesta joined the incident.

“Apple fell over. He stumbled. He slipped. He tried to get back up and that’s when the other one came in,” the eyewitness said.

MORE NEWS: Ex-Newport County footballer jailed for causing ‘high level of suffering’ to dog

Mr O’Connor was then attacked by the pair with machetes, he claimed.

He told of how Apple had struggled in vain to flee his attackers.

Mr Pritchard said: “He tried to get away before he collapsed.”

He maintained he saw Mr O’Connor being stabbed in the back by the first attacker and then knifed twice by the second one.

Newport Crown Court heard how Mr Pritchard feared for his safety before he saw Mr O’Connor being attacked.

The witness told the police: “I saw the car by the Somerton Steps and the driver stared at me.

“He had a black mask on.

“I thought they were coming for me.”

Martin Heslop QC, representing Aquilina, questioned Mr Pritchard’s version of events and his recollection of what took place that evening.

He accused him of having a “bad memory”.

Mr Pritchard accepted he has had problems with his memory “for a while”.

The defence barrister told him: “This must have been a shocking episode for you to watch.”

Mr Heslop quizzed Mr Pritchard over his initial evidence in which he said he saw Mr O’Connor being attacked when he was on the floor.

He suggested the alleged victim had been standing up.

Mr Pritchard replied he now accepted Apple was stabbed when he was on his feet but maintained he did fall over as he was being chased.

Aquilina, Strickland, Fiteni, Raisis and Jeremy all deny murder, manslaughter and robbery.

Father-of-one Mr O’Connor died on Balfe Road at around 9pm on Thursday, June 10, 2021.

The trial before Mr Justice Saini continues.

For updates from today’s hearing, go to: https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19844557.ryan-oconnor-newport-gucci-bag-robbery-murder-trial-live/

Waite has scored eight times in the Cymru Premier this season and is well known to Rowberry, who coached the midfielder at Cardiff City.

READ MORE: The lowdown on new signing Pask

The former Wales Under-21 international made one senior appearance for the Bluebirds in August 2019, coming off the bench in an EFL Cup clash with Luton.

He has two spells on loan at Weston-super-Mare before heading to play for Waterford in the League of Ireland in 2020/21.

Waite will come straight into the first-team squad to add competition for spots in the attacking areas.

James Waite 🔵⚪️

Cydradd brif-sgoriwr @PenybontFC_ y tymor hwn – 7⃣ gôl gynghrair yn ei dymor cyntaf gyda’r clwb 💫@james_waite10 | #JDCymruPremier pic.twitter.com/gB02OFLSTe

— Sgorio ⚽️ (@sgorio) January 11, 2022

“I have known James since he was 13 and he is an Ollie Cooper or Finn Azaz type,” said the manager.

“He has been involved in 14 goals this year for Penybont and he is a very attack-minded player. He is small but he is so tenacious.

“He is from the area and that is a big thing for me, he is a local lad and knows what it means to play for Newport.

“James didn’t get the chances at Cardiff but I think our style of play will suit him – he is an exciting signing for us and will get better and better with time.

“The fans will love him, they will see how tenacious he is for someone of that stature and he gives us an extra attacking option.”

Waite is County’s second signing of the January transfer window after Coventry defender Josh Pask joined on loan until the end of the season.

“I am really pleased to get the two deals done,” said Rowberry. “They have been on the radar for a while.

“We identified them as a collective and Darren [Kelly, sporting director], who has been terrific with the ins and outs, got the deals over the line.”

Ed Upson left County for League Two rivals Stevenage while his fellow midfielder Christopher Missilou and forwards Jordan Greenidge and Jermain Hylton have been released.

Attacking midfielder Lewys Twamley is the first of the young players to have left on loan, heading to Salisbury to gain experience.

However, anybody that has a positive lateral flow test in Wales is no longer required to take a PCR test, so this is likely to have impacted figures.

In Gwent’s five local authority areas, Caerphilly has the highest number of new cases with 159.

Newport has 94 new cases, followed by Torfaen with 65 new cases.

Blaenau Gwent has 61 new cases and Monmouthshire recorded the fewest cases with 54.

Public Health Wales statistics show a further four deaths have been reported here in Wales – taking the death toll for the entire pandemic to 6,654.

The total amount of deaths for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area stays at 1,150.

The newly reported cases, based on Public Health Wales data, are as follows:

• Anglesey – 33

• Blaenau Gwent – 61

• Bridgend – 106

• Caerphilly – 159

• Cardiff – 189

• Carmarthenshire – 112

• Ceredigion – 34

• Conwy – 69

• Denbighshire – 64

• Flintshire – 89

• Gwynedd – 84

• Merthyr Tydfil – 52

• Monmouthshire – 54

• Neath Port Talbot – 162

• Newport – 94

• Pembrokeshire – 55

• Powys – 48

• Rhondda Cynon Taf – 175

• Swansea – 220

• Torfaen – 65

• Vale of Glamorgan – 51

• Wrexham – 77

• Unknown location – 6

• Resident outside Wales – 117

We want to hear about the inspirational teachers and schools who have risen to the challenge of keeping pupils and students motivated to keep learning throughout the pandemic. Tell us about the cutting edge technology they’ve adopted, the hours staff have spent counselling youngsters struggling with their mental health, and the innovative ways they’ve found to make lessons fun, whether on computer screens or in the classroom.

Make us aware of those staff members who regularly go above and beyond, or who have devoted a lifetime to helping young people to learn.

And it’s not just teachers and lecturers we’re looking to honour: there are categories for teaching assistants, early years workers, new teachers, Welsh language initiatives and digital innovations too.

If all your teachers are so fantastic that you can’t choose between them, why not nominate your entire primary or secondary school to let the staff know just how much their work is valued?

The past 22 months have been tough on all of us, but schools, teachers and lecturers are among those who have really had to rise to the challenge of helping a generation to keep learning and growing.

“We want to celebrate all those who have risen to the challenge; who have overcome adversity, shown strength and been innovative so that they can continue to encourage and mentor their pupils to help them achieve their full academic and social potential, as well as developing parent engagement and supporting fellow members of staff,” says the managing director of the Argus Hussain Bayoomi.

“We want to share their stories and create a permanent record of all those incredible achievements.”

Don’t delay in getting your entries in: Visit: https://newsquestevents.co.uk/schools-education-awards/ for the full list of categories and details of how to enter. The deadline is Friday January 28.

The free game is available for everyone to play on their web browser, and the best part is there are no adverts and you don’t need to sign up for anything. 

Wordle is a daily game that people are encouraged to keep the word to themselves. 

Wordle 204 3/6

Back in business.

🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

— Richard Osman (@richardosman) January 9, 2022

How to play Wordle 

The aim of the game is to find a word, with six attempts to fill in the blanks of a five-letter word. 

The game uses the same rules as Scrabble, where only real words are allowed both in guesses and the result. 

If you get a letter in the right spot and from the correct word, the square turns green. 

But if the guessed letter is in the word but not in the right spot, the square turns yellow. 

Letters which is wrong turn grey to help the process of elimination for the six tries.

Players get one chance a day to solve each game and the website helps keep track of wins, plays, and streaks. 

Once you finish the puzzle a timer counting down the hours till you can next play will appear. 

You can share the results on share via a spoil-free way using an emoji-fied version, which appears when you click the share button.

Play the game via the website. 

Public Health Wales statistics show a total of 16 new deaths in Wales – taking the death toll of the entire pandemic to 6,650.

Wales has seen a further 11,693 new cases, with Gwent reporting 1,945 new Covid infections.

In Gwent’s five local authority areas, Caerphilly has the highest number of new cases with 588.

Newport has 560 new cases, followed by Blaenau Gwent with 293 new cases.

Torfaen has 261 new cases with Monmouthshire recording the fewest cases at 243.

READ MORE:

The newly reported cases, based on Public Health Wales data, are as follows:

• Anglesey – 354

• Blaenau Gwent – 293

• Bridgend – 489

• Caerphilly – 588

• Cardiff – 1,191

• Carmarthenshire – 665

• Ceredigion – 199

• Conwy – 585

• Denbighshire – 369

• Flintshire – 579

• Gwynedd – 495

• Merthyr Tydfil – 180

• Monmouthshire – 243

• Neath Port Talbot – 547

• Newport – 560

• Pembrokeshire – 310

• Powys – 401

• Rhondda Cynon Taf – 834

• Swansea – 963

• Torfaen – 261

• Vale of Glamorgan – 396

• Wrexham – 620

• Unknown location – 71

• Resident outside Wales – 500

Having read social and political science before completing a master’s in social research at Swansea University, Ms Cifuentes became the chief executive of the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team (EYST).

EYST is Wales’ leading organisation supporting black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

She previously worked for the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations, Swansea Young Single Homelessness Project, Gower College and Swansea University.

First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the news on Monday and said he was “proud” Ms Cifuentes was taking over the role.

A cross-party panel of Senedd members recommended Ms Cifuentes for the position.

Mr Drakeford said: “The role of children’s commissioner for Wales is an extremely important one – the pandemic has caused huge disruption to the lives of children.

“That’s why it’s so important to continue to have a strong voice to speak up for them and to inform our decision-making.”

Paying tribute to the incumbent Sally Holland, he said: “From embedding children’s rights in key pieces of legislation, to providing an insight into children’s experiences of the pandemic via the large-scale, internationally renowned ‘Coronavirus and me’ surveys, Sally Holland has made an impressive and long-lasting contribution to a generation of children in Wales.”

Ms Cifuentes, who will take over in April 2022, said: “It’s an immense honour and privilege to be appointed as the children’s commissioner for Wales.

“As the First Minister says, the role of commissioner will be more important now than it ever has been, delivering for the generation of children that have lived through coronavirus.

“To all the children and young people of Wales, I make the commitment today to ensure your voice, your views and your future is at the heart of everything we do.”