A Gloucester man has been found guilty of murder after a savage knife attack left one man dead and two others fighting for their lives.
Gloucester Flat Knife Attack Ends in Death
Kane Kotwica, 39, from Bibury Road, was convicted at Bristol Crown Court of stabbing 53-year-old Matthew Cainey to death. The brutal incident happened on the morning of May 28 at a flat on Bedford Street.
Kotwica was inside the flat with Mr Cainey, two other men, and two women. A heated argument erupted between Kotwica and one of the men, prompting Kotwica to grab a kitchen knife. Although a woman wrestled the knife away and ordered him to leave, Kotwica didn’t go far. He wandered the streets over an hour before sneaking back armed with a hidden knife.
Stabbed in Hallway as Violence Erupts
Let back inside by a woman and Mr Cainey, Kotwica immediately plunged the knife into Mr Cainey’s chest in the hallway. The wound proved fatal.
Two men tried to stop him but were seriously injured—one needed life-saving surgery after a chest stab, the other suffered a deep neck wound.
The attack was caught on a neighbour’s doorbell camera. CCTV also showed Kotwica fleeing the scene and dumping the knife down a drain. Police later recovered the weapon.
Guilty Verdict Delivered, Sentencing Imminent
Kotwica was arrested close by by armed officers and charged with murder and two attempted murders. He denied the charges, claiming self-defence, but the jury rejected this, finding him guilty of murder and two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent. He was cleared of attempted murder charges.
Kotwica will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday, 10 December. He remains in custody until then.
Gloucestershire Police lauded their Major Crime Investigation Team for cracking the case.
