Swansea man jailed for unprovoked stabbing of Morgan Hopkins

A Swansea man was jailed for 17 years and six months for stabbing 18-year-old Morgan Hopkins 10 times in an unprovoked attack outside the New Lodge social club in Gorseinon, Swansea, in the early hours of June 22, 2025. Hopkins, who was on a night out with his girlfriend and friends, sustained life-changing injuries, including a severed bowel and nerve damage to his arm, and required about 10 hours of surgery the following day.

Kane Evans, then 20, had earlier been involved in an altercation with people in a car outside the club. The prosecution said Hopkins attempted to calm the situation, telling Evans that "no one needs to get hurt" as Evans pulled a passenger from a car; Evans then approached Hopkins with a kitchen knife and launched a "frenzied and unprovoked attack" that left him stabbed 10 times. CCTV shown to the court captured Hopkins running from Evans and seeking help at the social club. At Swansea Crown Court, Judge Paul Thomas KC described the assault as "murderous, ferocious and persistent."

The sentencing heard a victim impact statement from Hopkins in which he said, "I'd dreamed of being a professional rugby player but this has been a massive setback. I don't know if I'll be able to put this behind me because I've never been so petrified in my life." Morgan’s mother, Victoria Hopkins, described the incident as a "horror story" and recalled the moment she learned her son had been stabbed. She said she initially thought, "this isn't even happening" when she received the call, and she struggled to understand why someone would stab him for no reason. She added, "Not that I blamed him, but I just wanted a reason why someone would do that to somebody for no reason." Doctors later found Morgan had developed sepsis and a severed bowel, with part of his bowel removed and extensive tendon and nerve damage to his arm.

Morgan, a keen rugby player, has, six months on, dealt with the injuries surprisingly well but remains unable to play. He has taken up coaching instead, a development his mother said makes her proud. "His world was rugby, and obviously he's not playing, and I can see that change in him," she said. Nevertheless, she said she remains grateful he is alive this Christmas. "I'm just so grateful that it's not the worst outcome."

Evans was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison, with an additional five years on licence after release. Nia Sturgess of the Crown Prosecution Service described the attack as sustained and brutal, noting that knife violence can have fatal consequences, and she expressed hope that Hopkins makes a full recovery.

The family’s statements emphasized the ongoing impact of the attack. Morgan, who hopes to return to rugby in 2026, now focuses on coaching to stay connected to the sport. Victoria Hopkins and her family said they will spend Christmas appreciating the chance to have Morgan home, even as the road to full recovery continues.