The father of Ryan O'Connor died during the course of the trial of his son's murderers. His family said he "never saw justice".
Ryan O'Connor was shown no mercy when killers Joseph Jeremy, 18, and Lewis Aquilina, 20, stabbed him to death just yards from his brother's home in Newport.
As he lay dying on the pavement, with passers-by doing their best to save him, the young murderers drove past and laughed in a disgusting display of heartlessness.
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Father-of-one Ryan died as a result of his injuries, inflicted on June 10 last year in Balfe Road, Alway, and was believed to have been targeted for a Gucci bag he was carrying.
Following a two-month trial at Newport Crown Court, Jeremy, of no fixed abode, and Aquilina, of Canton Court, Riverside, Cardiff, were both found guilty of murder and robbery.
Kyle Raisis, 18, of Bartley Wilson Way, Canton, was found guilty of manslaughter and robbery, and Ethan Strickland, 19, of Clos Briallen, Caerau, was found guilty of robbery. Elliott Fiteni, 20, was found not guilty of murder, manslaughter and robbery.
After the trial, Ryan's sister-in-law Lauren Flood read a statement out on the court steps in which she confirmed Ryan's father had died during the course of the trial.
Ms Flood said: "“Our lives changed forever on Thursday 10 June last year. The outcome today and the sentences that will follow will never bring Ryan back.
"Ryan’s tragic death has left us broken, and those responsible will never realise the impact their actions have had on our family, which will never be the same again. It is of some comfort that these violent and dangerous individuals are now off the streets and not able to inflict on anyone else the pain and heartbreak we feel every minute of every day.
"We’re constantly faced with reminders of Ryan and what happened that night. We miss him so much and he is forever in our hearts and minds.
“Ryan’s dad, John, sadly passed away during the course of this trial. John’s condition deteriorated following Ryan’s death; it impacted him greatly and he was never the same after Ryan was cruelly taken away from us. He never got to see justice done for his son.
“This has been such a difficult time for us all but the support of our local community of Alway has been a great comfort and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank them.
“We’d also like to thank Gwent Police, especially the officer in the case and family liaison officers, the prosecution, and all of the witnesses who have bravely stood up and given evidence in support of the case on behalf of Ryan.
“Without them we wouldn’t have got to the position that we are now in. While there are no words that can bring Ryan back to us, we hope that the outcome of this trial will now give us the hope for a fresh start and to move forward in our lives.
“#Alway.”
At the time of his death, a statement released on behalf of Ryan's family said: "Ryan was a loving and caring person. He has left us far too soon, and he will be greatly missed by all of us.
"He was loved by his family and the local community, which is reflected in the support that we’ve received from them at this difficult time for our family.
"The whole family would like to thank everyone for the kindness they have shown us so far."
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