Kane Evans jailed for 17½ years for unprovoked stabbing of Morgan Hopkins in Swansea
Judge described the attack as murderous, ferocious and persistent as Morgan Hopkins begins a long road to recovery
An 18-year-old man was stabbed 10 times in an unprovoked attack outside a Swansea-area social club in the early hours of June 22, 2025, leaving him with life-changing injuries. Morgan Hopkins was with his girlfriend and friends near the New Lodge social club in Gorseinon when Kane Evans, then 20, confronted them and launched the assault. Evans was later sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison, with five years on licence after release, for the attack. Doctors found that Morgan had a severed bowel and developed sepsis, and he required about 10 hours of surgery the following day.
Prosecutors described the violence as frenzied and unprovoked. Morgan had tried to calm an earlier altercation outside the club, when Evans pulled a passenger from a car and confronted him. A short time later, outside the social club, Evans approached Morgan with a kitchen knife. CCTV shown to the court captured Morgan running into the social club seeking help as Evans pursued him.
Morgan sustained a severed bowel and developed sepsis after the attack. He also had deep wounds that severed about half of the tendons in his arm and damaged nerves in the arm, including the triceps and bicep. The injuries required extensive surgical repair and prolonged hospitalization, with doctors noting the recovery would be long and uncertain.
Ms Victoria Hopkins, Morgan’s mother, said she had just spent the day in hospital with her father when she learned of the attack. She described the events as a horror story and said she was grateful Morgan would recover enough to be with his family at Christmas. She recalled Morgan asking why someone would stab him for no reason and said she did not blame him but struggled to understand the motive.
Six months on, Morgan has begun to focus on rugby again only in a coaching role, as he continues to cope with nerve damage that affects his arm. He remains unable to play competitively but his family said he has shown resilience and determination. Evans was heard to say to his partner after the attack that Morgan was lucky that was all he got.
A witness impact statement from Morgan described how the stabbing disrupted his dream of becoming a professional rugby player and left him petrified at the time of the incident. Doctors and therapists say the road to full recovery will be lengthy and uncertain.
Nia Sturgess of the Crown Prosecution Service called the attack sustained and brutal and noted that knife violence can have fatal consequences. She added that authorities hope Morgan makes a full recovery.
In Swansea Crown Court, Judge Paul Thomas KC described the attack as murderous, ferocious and persistent. As part of the sentence, Evans received 17 years and six months in prison along with five years on licence after release.