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One of his victims said she was struggling to sleep or to leave the house as she is constantly looking over her shoulder
06:00, 12 May 2026Updated 06:07, 12 May 2026
A man with an appalling record of crimes against women has been back in court after harassing an ex-girlfriend to the point she considered taking her own life. The victim, Natalie, says she feels let down by Whitchurch rugby club, in north Cardiff, which recently allowed the offender, Martyn Evans, to play for the team despite being informed of his record.
Last year we reported on how Evans had controlled, threatened, and abused his former partner for years. After she left him he bombarded her with vile messages – including “I’m gonna ruin your life” and “Now you got no-one since [your aunt] has died haha” – and was sentenced to a community order for breaching a non-molestation order.
The 37-year-old from Caerphilly county, who at the time was a reserve winger for Bedwas rugby club, has crimes against three other women on his record – one for assault by beating, the other two for criminal damage – as well as other convictions. When we revealed this, Bedwas RFC said it was “appalled” to learn of his crimes and barred him from the club.
Since then there have been two distressing developments for 28-year-old Natalie. First, Evans harassed her on social media – leading to a suspended prison sentence – and second, he was welcomed into Whitchurch RFC even after Natalie had made the club aware of his crimes.
Last week Evans appeared at Newport Magistrates’ Court to be sentenced for the harassment. He pleaded guilty to committing the offence over TikTok by “liking the account and videos” of the victim, in breach of a restraining order.
In her victim personal statement Natalie (who asked us not to print her surname) said: “Since leaving Martyn on December 22, 2022, I have been subjected to nothing but unsolicited contact… Martyn just will not leave me alone despite being told to by the courts.
“His behaviour is obsessive.. Orders set out by the court to protect me have just not deterred Martyn from harassing me or causing me significant mental distress. This makes me feel like it will never end.
“I have thought about committing suicide several times as a way out. I am struggling to sleep, I struggle to leave the house, and when I do I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I am having panic attacks resulting in me struggling to breath.
“I lived and breathed for my door supervisor role that I had worked hard to obtain. Now I can’t do this because I am unable to even leave my house alone. I have moved to the other side of the UK from my previous address in a bid for freedom. I don’t want to eat as the anxiety makes me feel physically sick… I just want to be free.”
Evans was handed an eight-week jail term suspended for a year and ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity after the magistrates deemed him to have shown “a flagrant disregard for court orders”.
Last October, when Natalie became aware Evans had joined amateur team Whitchurch RFC, she asked if the club was aware of his past. Initially the club responded with a Facebook message stating: “Just wanted to let you know our head coach has spoken to Martyn. We’ve explained the complaint we’ve received and asked him to leave the club. He’s agreed to do this.”
But over the following months Natalie saw social media posts from the club showing his continued involvement. He featured on team sheets and appeared in a squad photo – which was used as Whitchurch’s cover picture on Facebook for around a month until WalesOnline challenged the club.
Natalie questioned whether Whitchurch – which has a women’s team – stood against misogyny and domestic abuse. She told us: “I was disgusted that they assured me he’d been removed only for a mate to then message me, ‘Did you know he’s playing for Whitchurch again?'”
In response a club spokeswoman said: “The documents Natalie provided to the club did not show any criminal conviction against Martyn. Following his removal from the club, Martyn contacted our head coach and supplied an enhanced DBS certificate… Based on the information available to us at the time, he was permitted to continue playing temporarily.
“Several weeks later, we were informed that Martyn had been arrested, although we were not told the reason or provided with any further details. Until your contact regarding a suspended prison sentence for harassment, this information was not known to us. Martyn was removed immediately.”
We reminded the spokeswoman that last October Natalie sent the club our article detailing Evans’ criminal convictions. Indeed, Whitchurch had acknowledged this, telling Natalie it “was not aware of anything you’ve mentioned” and that Evans would be removed.
Why, then, was he allowed to return? When we pressed the spokeswoman she failed to give a clear answer, responding: “I’m afraid I do not have time to follow all of your articles you publish.”
Reacting to this, Natalie told us: “It’s just disrespectful. They told me they don’t stand for domestic abuse but if that’s true why would you allow someone like that to play on your team? It was very different with Bedwas RFC, which formally apologised after I made a complaint.”
Evans, of Bryn Dolwen, told WalesOnline he had “accidentally clicked like on a post” by Natalie on TikTok. He claimed he was only on her page because she had been “posting stuff online about myself”. Asked if he was sorry, he said: “Well, I know not to do it again, but this time it wasn’t with any intent.”
Natalie had posted about her experience as a survivor of abuse because she was determined to raise awareness. She has also appeared at events for domestic abuse victims to share their experiences. You can read more about the abuse she experienced here.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800. Natalie also recommended Stand Up to Domestic Abuse which she said had been a “massive support”. And the Samaritans can be contacted for free around the clock 365 days a year on 116 123.
