Man jailed after murder was captured on doorbell camera

A man has been handed a life sentence after murdering a father in a stabbing.

Kane Kotwica, 39, stabbed Matthew Cainey to death in an attack at a block of flats in Gloucester on 28 May which was captured on a doorbell camera.

Kotwica was found guilty of the 53-year-old’s murder following a trial at Bristol Crown Court. The jury cleared him of the attempted murders of Jamie Bullock and Luke Lambert in the same incident, but found him guilty of wounding both men.

Sentencing him for life with a minimum term of 31 years earlier, Judge William Hart described the murder as “deliberate and cold-blooded”.

Judge Hart said Kotwica had “lost his temper and self control” after Mr Cainey likely threw a punch at him and missed.

“You pulled out that knife, and you thrust it intentionally into his chest.

“He was unarmed and he was no threat to you.

“I have no choice but to conclude you are a very dangerous man indeed,” he added.

Kotwica was drinking and taking drugs with a group of people at the flat in Bedford Street before leaving after an argument broke out.

He returned armed with a knife and used it to stab Mr Cainey once in the chest.

Mr Bullock and Mr Pollard were both seriously injured when they tried to restrain Kotwica during the attack.

Kotwica was later caught on CCTV throwing the murder weapon down a drain. The knife was subsequently recovered and he was arrested by armed officers.

In a statement read to the court, David Cainey said his son “had a different lifestyle than many others” which he respected.

He said his son “meant the world” to him and described the loss as immeasurable.

Kitty Cainey said her father struggled with drugs, alcohol and homelessness but was “always there for the people he cared about”.

She said his murder was a “selfish horrible crime” which had left her and her family traumatised.

“Knife crime makes me feel sick,” she added.

The court also heard from Kotwica’s defence team that he “bitterly regrets” his actions.

Det Insp Adam Stacey, who led the investigation for Gloucestershire Police, said the family have “had to endure a lot” over the past six months, describing it as a “traumatic journey for them”.

“They’ve ridden out [this investigation] incredibly well, my thanks to them and I’m humbled by how they’ve dealt with everything,” he added.

“Today’s sentence is very welcomed, Kane Kotwica will have to spend an extremely long time behind bars, he’s an extremely dangerous man.”