TWO men have admitted the murder of a neighbour in a knife attack.

At Cardiff Crown Court today, Raymond Ball, 33, of Twmbarlwm Close, Risca and Gavin Harris, 28, of Holly Road, Risca, both pleaded guilty to the charge of murdering Stephen Lambert on August 27 this year.

The pair have been remanded in custody where they will await their sentencing on January 15.

Murder carries a mandatory life sentence, but the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Eleri Rees, will then set the tariff - the number of years both will serve before they can be considered for parole.

Earlier this year the Argus reported how police and an ambulance were called to an address in Twmbarlwm Close in Risca at 8.45pm on August 27 after the 35-year-old man Mr Lambert, was discovered with stab injuries.

He was taken to Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital, where he later died.

Harris, represented today by John Ryan and Ball, represented today by Ieuan Rees, were later arrested.

Police cordoned off two areas in Twmbarlwm Close following the incident.

A witness at the time said a helicopter was seen searching the area on August 27, while armed police swarmed around the street.

An inquest into Mr Lambert's death, which opened and was adjourned in September, heard that a post-mortem examination found that Mr Lambert had died from an injury to his left lung.

After his death, tributes to Mr Lambert – who was known as Lammy – were posted on social media.

One user wrote: “RIP Lammy u will be sadly missed by so many people”.

A second user wrote: “So sad! RIP”.

A third added: “Rip Stephen, so awful, thoughts to your family”.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Ian Roberts said: “The guilty pleas are a reflection of the overwhelming amount of evidence presented by the prosecution that undoubtedly identified these two men as those who killed Stephen Lambert.

"Our thoughts remain with his family at this time and I would also like to pay tribute to the community for working with us as we made enquiries in the area and the diligent efforts of officers in bringing this case to justice.”